More than 200 Agriculture technologies ready for adoption

Ministry of Agriculture says the country has more than 200 agricultural technologies available for adoption awaiting to be implemented by as many farmers as possible.

Controller of Extension and Technical services Dr. Alfred Mwenifumbo disclosed this during an Agriculture field day in Dowa.

He indicated that the Department of Agriculture Research at Chitedze Research Station originally planned for 5-6 hectares of land to demonstrate and promote different technologies for farmer’s adoption.

Speaking during a Mega farm demonstration at Chisepo EPA, he said research is being brought to the communities through successful innovations and technologies that have been tried at Chitedze and cleared for adoption.

The initiative is under the Sustainable Agriculture Production Programme (SAPP) II to be implemented over a seven year period from 2024-2030 with financing from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

In line with the Malawi 2063 first 10-year Implementation Plan (MIP-1), Mwenifumbo stated that the Department is hopeful that by 2030, farmers in Dowa district and beyond would have adopted as many of the technologies as possible.

The Department of Research is looking at which innovations work around the world and when they come to Malawi, they are not just adopted wholesomely but are subjected to further trials.

Mwenifumbo who also heads the Mega Farm Support Unit added that after being convinced that they are successful; the innovations are then cleared under the Agriculture Technology Clearing Committee and later demonstrated to the farmers.

“We are doing extremely well in terms of research findings but where we are not doing well is the extension part of it. We have more than 200 technologies ready for adoption.

“What we would want to see is to have as many farmers as possible adopt those technologies; that’s where we’re bringing this innovation here with the assistance of IFAD.

“This is a SAPP II IFAD-funded project and we have four districts that are sponsored and in each one of those four districts, we hope to have a similar demonstration farm as this one. So hopefully by 2030, we’ll have as many of the available technologies adopted as possible.”

Among some of the technologies which were demonstrated were the use of tablet fertilizer in form of both NPK and Urea where one tablet is mixed into a drum of 200 litres which is enough for a hectare which is an Indian technology.

The Ministry hopes that by exposing the farmers to these technologies firsthand, they will be replicated to other areas besides the four pilot districts under the project.