Over 70 IITA staff met in Malawi to strategize and plan to respond to challenges undermining the transformation of agrifood systems in Southern Africa. Southern African countries did not receive adequate rains in 2023/24 production systems and harvested below average yield, constraining household purchasing capacity and causing high levels of poverty and food insecurity.
The week-long retreat, with the theme ‘Thriving together,’ brought participants from Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia who form the IITA Southern Africa Research and Administration Hub (SARAH). The primary goal of the retreat was to finalize the hub’s strategy framework while fostering team connections through team-building activities and a town hall meeting.
In his opening remarks, SARAH Director David Chikoye emphasized the need for the refreshed IITA 2024-2030 strategy to be result-oriented and fully aligned with partners’ research and development agenda. The refreshed IITA research strategy aims to effectively deliver innovations that will transform African agricultural food systems. He also stated that the hub research portfolio must be well-defined and aligned to national and regional agricultural needs and priorities.
“We have enormous challenges in Southern Africa that require expertise and scientific infrastructure. We are happy that IITA is investing in our hub infrastructure and empowering farmers with new innovations. We want the new strategy to speak to the needs of our farmers while we thrive together to drive agriculture innovations in Africa,” Chikoye said.
Among other activities, the retreat reviewed relevant national and regional frameworks and strategies to give context to the institute’s work in the region, analyzed future trends affecting the transformation of agriculture, and reviewed the lessons learned while implementing our 2012 – 2022 strategy to identify strategic implications and the rationale for the new plan for African agricultural transformation in the region.
The retreat also identified priority research topics for selected geographies and farming systems. It mapped key research and delivery partners (e.g., NARIs, private sector, countries, regions, and advanced research Institutions) to clearly define our niche and the roles of other players in the agriculture sector in the region. Critical staff, expertise, and science infrastructure needs were identified. Lastly, the retreat deliberated on fundraising to finance our research and delivery portfolio.
Also present at the retreat were students from various universities attached to projects in the institution. Through presentations and panel discussions, the students injected fresh perspectives on new areas of science to improve the transformation of agrifood systems in Southern Africa.
In his review of the past decade, Chikoye disclosed that 14 varieties of soybean were allocated to seed companies in 2023 with TGx-2014-16FM released as GNA emerald selling 60 tons of seed upon release, with a spillover effect to Madagascar and DRC. This variety has also been registered under the SADC catalog.
The approval of a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded soybean project of US$4.9 million is another landmark achievement by Southern Africa in propelling soybean technologies from speed breeding and genomic selection. He also noted the release of three new cassava varieties in Malawi and Zambia for the fresh and processed markets: CHINANGWA 3 (MM06/0045) and CHILENGWA and KASHIBA in 2024 in Malawi and Zambia, respectively. IITA’s last release of cassava varieties in Malawi was in 2014, whereas in Zambia, it was in 2001. In Mozambique, five soybean genotypes have been submitted for registration and release.
“The great support we are getting from partners is making it all possible for us to contribute to national programs through various projects. As such, we need to have a solidified strategy that plays a role in the transformation of Africa’s food systems through cutting-edge research and innovation,” added Chikoye.
Presenting on the guiding framework for Southern Africa, IITA Economist Julius Manda said Africa has developed many good policies that guide the agriculture sector and asked the participants to ensure that they are adhered to while building partnerships with national programs and the private sector. He cited the Malawi Vision 2063, which has emphasized agricultural productivity and commercialization with a trending focus on megafarms.
As areas to explore, Southern Africa will be looking to adopt artificial intelligence in agronomy for trait identification, remote sensing and drone use, biofertilizer, soil and water conservation techniques, and energy and labor saving techniques, among other areas. Participants further adopted priority areas of genetic innovation in breeding, resilient agrifood systems, and system transformation in social economics.
The last day of the retreat was dedicated to team-building activities that focused on teamwork, accountability, and collaboration. Members were engaged in various activities that simulated actual work-related situations and learned how teams can work together to achieve common goals.
Contributed by Emmanuel Mwale and John Omondi
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