From 13 to 16 May 2024, Malawi hosted a mission in Lilongwe for the ‘Addressing Water Scarcity for Agriculture and Environment’ (AWSAMe) initiative, which includes a component on indigenous, drought resilient and nutritious crops with a potential to improve biodiversity. AWSAMe is a Value Adding Impact Area (VAIA) of ‘Better Environment’, one of the four Betters of the FAO Strategic Framework 2022–31. This mission, funded by the Flexible Voluntary Contribution (FVC), follows a consultative inception workshop held on 20-21 February 2024 in Ben Guerir, Morocco. During the workshop, four Member Nations, namely Cabo Verde, Malawi, Morocco, and South Sudan were brought together to discuss and identify indigenous crops with the potential to be promoted in their respective countries. 

This mission is part of the inception phase aimed at piloting the initiative in the four countries. 

During a briefing meeting with Mr Zhijun Chen, the FAO representative for Malawi, he confirmed the pertinence of the initiative for Malawi and emphasized the value of an integrated approach combining agronomic practices, policy considerations, and irrigation and engineering practices. Mr Chen confirmed FAO Malawi's commitment to supporting the smooth implementation of the project.

A visit to the Malawi Plant Genetic Resource Centre (MPGRC), the national center dedicated to conserving, researching, and utilizing plant genetic resources, revealed how Malawi values its indigenous crops. The MPGRC, which operates under the Department of Agricultural Research Services and is based at the Chitedze Agricultural Research Station, oversees the conservation and promotion of sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and specializes in germplasm regeneration, collection, ex-situ conservation, and characterization. Dr Nolipher Mponya, the head of the MPGRC, and Dr Modester Kachapila Millinyu, a plant genetic resources conservationist highlighted the great potential of indigenous crops, which are often neglected in favor of the conventional staple crops. They emphasized the contribution of indigenous crops to increasing resilience to drought, climate change, and El Niño. They recognized the value of the AWSAMe initiative and its potential to fill a critical food security and nutritional gap caused by climate change and the socio-economic benefits of developing their value chains, including incorporating these crops into diets. During discussions, several indigenous crops in Malawi were identified, including various varieties of millets such as finger millets and pearl millets, which have been already released to the public, as well as Mucuna pruriens, a Fabaceae on which characterization experiments are already underway. They welcomed the initiative as an excellent opportunity to promote these geographically restricted crops and to evaluate their release potential, as was done for Bambara groundnuts (Vigna subterranea). A potential experimental site for the project was also visited at the Chitedze Agricultural Research Station.

During the consultative workshop that brought together several experts, in addition to the two varieties of crops agreed upon for experience sharing among the four pilot countries (millets and Vigna), the meeting agreed that Malawi would also focus on sweet potatoes and Mucuna pruriens. Participants committed to further unpack the next steps of the inception phase during a follow-up meeting with a task force that would take place the following week.             

Mr Dickxie Kampani, the Principal Secretary of Agriculture, hosted a courtesy call during which he expressed Malawi's appreciation for being included in this pilot phase. He also confirmed the country’s commitment to the initiative considering Malawi's unique wealth of indigenous crops and their potential for the country and beyond. 

There was a unanimous agreement on the opportunity for Malawi to share its experience with other countries of the pilot phase, and in this regard, to host experts from South Sudan for an exchange visit. 

Photo album of this mission is available HERE.