Minister tells farmers to embrace digitisation
Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale has urged farmers to embrace digitisation and information sharing amid dwindling extension service workers to boost their productivity.
He said doing so would help them drift towards commercial farming while contributing to the attainment of Malawi 2063, the country’s long-term development strategy.
Speaking in Lilongwe yesterday during the Malawi Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services Conference, the minister said he was positive that knowledge can promote agricultural productivity.
He said: “The digital age must become the primary source of information sharing. After that, face-to-face extension, farmer-to-farmer extension, group development and other forms of support can follow.”
Kawale said his ministry is developing a National Agriculture Management Information System (Namis) to create a harmonised platform for reaching out to farmers nationwide.
In her remarks, International Fund for Agriculture Development (Ifad) country representative Bernadette Mukonyora called for the need for farmers to be trained in various crops, proper spacing and fertiliser use as most farmers are affected by climate change.
She said Ifad is mandated to support the agriculture sector in rural areas, mobilising financial resources and empowering local stakeholders and young people to promote farming extension.
