Centre for Agricultural Transformation (CAT) says more than 40,000 smallholder farmers across the country have adopted modern agricultural technologies and crop diversification resulting in increased productivity.
CAT’s Advisory Board Chairperson, Albert Changaya, said since its inception in 2019, the group has provided a platform for science, technology, innovation and business incubation to support farmers in making economically viable decisions.
“CAT has helped to bring new technologies, especially to farmers through our demonstration fields
(smart farms) where among others, farmers have been motivated to diversify to other crops like rice, bananas and legumes using improved seed varieties as well as evidence-based extension services,” said Changaya.
He cited a case of a Salima-based lady who after adopting the group’s technologies has realised about 2.4 tonnes of groundnuts per hectare, a rise from 900 kilogrammes per hectare which she previously used to harvest.
Changaya has since emphasized the need for the country to establish well-structured value-chain markets for smallholder farmers’ produce as is the case with tobacco and tea
He said CAT is working towards transforming Malawian Agriculture Systems and the lives of smallholder farmers under a five-year sponsorship from the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, Agriculture Transformation Initiative (ATI).
Reported by Doreen Sonani.
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