Delegation visit to Malawi for the 7th meeting of the Lead Expert Group
As part of the Global Panel’s project on Strengthening resilience in the transformation of food systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries in Africa a delegation comprising members of the Lead Expert Group (LEG) and Secretariat staff visited Lilongwe in Malawi in July 2024 to gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities for food system resilience in Malawi. Hosted by the National Planning Commission, the visit included the 7th Lead Expert Group (LEG) meeting for the project, a national stakeholders’ consultation meeting, an eminent speaker series event and several bilateral meetings with diverse stakeholders.
Malawi faces a complex and escalating food and nutrition crisis arising from a convergence of threats including conflict, climate change, and economic challenges. These factors undermine the country’s efforts to progress towards the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of poverty reduction, health and well-being improvement of its population. A resilient food system is critical to addressing these challenges and ensuring a secure, healthy, and sustainable future for Malawi. A stakeholders’ consultation meeting on the resilience of the food systems transformation in Malawi was therefore organised by the National Planning Commission (NPC) and the Lilongwe University of Agriculture & Natural Resources (LUANAR) as part of the Global Panel’s resilience project funded by Irish Aid on 9th July.
The event was well attended by government officials, donor agencies, civil society groups and the private sector. Challenges and potential solutions for improving diet and nutrition in Malawi were discussed along with the importance of collaboration, monitoring and evaluation, and effective coordination among stakeholders in the food system. There was a consensus that there was an urgent need for better coordination across government departments on food system transformation and strengthening of food systems resilience.
The 12th Eminent Speaker Series event was organized by the National Planning Commission (NPC) and the Lilongwe University of Agriculture & Natural Resources (LUANAR) with Mwapata Institute on 9th July. Professor Andy Dougill, LEG member spoke about the global movement towards food system transformation, emphasising the importance of resilience and the shift towards more nutritious crops. This was followed by Professor David Mkwambisi’s presentation on the food processing landscape in Malawi which provided a comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities in developing a robust food processing sector.
On July 10, the 7th meeting of the LEG was held in Lilongwe to deliberate on the reflections and next steps from the stakeholder consultation as well as its influence on the resilience project. LEG members from Sierra Leone and Ethiopia also reflected on their national programmes, identifying best practice in the food system, including rethinking governance, improving donor coordination and repurposing existing resources and initiatives to drive food systems transformation and their relevance to Malawi. Bilateral meetings were held with stakeholders in agriculture, food systems, nutrition and health in Malawi across the Government, donor agencies, civil society groups and the private sector. They included FAO, Irish Aid, UNICEF, Donors Committee on Agriculture and Food Security (DCAFS), Department of Nutrition, HIV and AIDS, MwaPATA Institute, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Alliance for African Partnerships, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the GIZ and the Ministry of Agriculture.
