Malawi

Vision

A future where Malawi’s agri-food transformation is powered by cutting-edge policy innovations, driving a resilient, inclusive, and industrialized nation through CGIAR evidence-based solutions and deep institutional capacity sharing.

Mission

Malawi has committed to a bold transformation of its food systems to promote sustainability, resilience, inclusivity, and healthy diets. This commitment, articulated in the Malawi Food Systems National Pathways Report and anchored in the Food Systems Transformative Integrated Policy (FS‑TIP) initiative, aims to address persistent challenges like recurrent hunger, chronic undernutrition, and price volatility.

The Malawi Policy Innovation Hub serves as the vital bridge between world-class research and real-world impact. By aligning with the three pillars of Malawi 2063—Agriculture Productivity and Commercialization, Industrialization, and Urbanization—the Hub ensures that strategic decisions across the entire food value chain are backed by actionable evidence to drive rapid, inclusive agri-food system transformation.

We believe that sustainable transformation must be country-led. The Hub focuses on strengthening national policy processes by embedding analytical tools directly within Malawian institutions to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and high-level policy implementation.

Examples of Current Capacity Sharing Initiatives:

• RIAPA Modeling for Investment: Partnering with the National Planning Commission (NPC) and the Ministry of Finance to develop and maintain the RIAPA (Rural Investment and Policy Analysis) country model, training staff to prioritize agri-food investments for Malawi 2063.
• Institutional Think Tank Support: Collaborative engagements to enhance the capacity of key think tanks, focusing on Agri-Food System Diagnostic Reports that identify drivers for inclusive growth and transformation priorities.
• Policy Dialogue & Knowledge Exchange: Organizing high-level Country Policy Dialogues to inform policymakers about research-based findings. Our launch event serves as the first of many strategic dialogues to align research with the national food systems agenda.
• Methodological Excellence: Training partners in advanced analytical frameworks, including the Political Economy of Rural Investment (PERI) and Policy Alignment and Implementation Diagnostic (PAID) applications to solve country-priority agri-food issues.

We bring world-class science specialized by AOW to address Malawi’s interconnected land, water, and food challenges:

• AOW 1 on Foresight & Prioritization: Developing Economywide Risk Profiles and Development Prospects Reports for the NPC to identify vulnerabilities for food security, social inclusion, and climate pathways.
• AOW 2 on Market-Led Transformation: Conducting research on the intersection of Fertilizer Subsidy and soil health to develop policy recommendations for the Farm Input Subsidy Program.
• AOW 3 on Governance & Political Economy: Applying the PERI methodology to help the Ministry of Finance navigate the political complexities of agri-food investment.
• AOW 4 on Water, Energy, Food (WEFE) Nexus: Deploying the Water Productivity Estimation Tool for the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development to optimize irrigation expansion and water use.
• AOW 6 Social policies and employment: Informing policymakers on research-based findings to design and improve social protection and youth programs.

Impact is co-created through an integrated "Country Collaboration" model, bringing together CGIAR expertise and national leadership:

• Executive & National Planning: National Planning Commission (NPC); Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Decentralization.
• Sector Ministries: Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development; Ministry of Trade and Industry; Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change.
• Research & Implementation: Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR); Department of Agricultural Research Services (DARS); National Statistical Office (NSO).

• KPI 1: Number of Policy Recommendations (e.g., Fertilizer subsidy innovation briefs; Water productivity guidelines; RIAPA-based investment priorities).
• KPI 2: Number of Policies/Investments Informed (e.g., Malawi 2063 10-Year Implementation Plan; National strategic goals for social inclusion; FS-TIP pathways).
• KPI 3: Number of National Institutions Strengthened (e.g., Capacity sharing with the NPC, LUANAR, and the Ministry of Finance through modeling training and diagnostic support).

For additional information about the Policy Innovation Hub in Malawi you can contact:

• Joseph Nagoli, Senior Research Coordinator, IFPRI - j.nagoli@cgiar.org
• Sika Gbegbelegbe, Agricultural Economist, IITA - S.Gbegbelegbe@cgiar.org