Strengthening forages and pasture seed systems for climate-resilient, productive and inclusive mixed farming in Malawi: A case for establishing a forages Technical Working Group (TWG)

Livestock is central to the livelihoods of most rural households in Malawi, significantly contributing to nutrition, income, soil fertility and resilience. Although livestock numbers are increasing, productivity (production per animal) remains below potential. One of the major binding constraints in...

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Main Authors: Homann-kee Tui, Sabine, Hami, Joseph, Makalani, Andrew, Banda, Mcloyd, Gausi, Harriet, Kayinga, Walusako, Chikagwa-Malunga, Susan, Kulemeka, Elestina, Mwendia, Solomon, Notenbaert, An
Format: Brief
Language:Inglés
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179824
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author Homann-kee Tui, Sabine
Hami, Joseph
Makalani, Andrew
Banda, Mcloyd
Gausi, Harriet
Kayinga, Walusako
Chikagwa-Malunga, Susan
Kulemeka, Elestina
Mwendia, Solomon
Notenbaert, An
author_browse Banda, Mcloyd
Chikagwa-Malunga, Susan
Gausi, Harriet
Hami, Joseph
Homann-kee Tui, Sabine
Kayinga, Walusako
Kulemeka, Elestina
Makalani, Andrew
Mwendia, Solomon
Notenbaert, An
author_facet Homann-kee Tui, Sabine
Hami, Joseph
Makalani, Andrew
Banda, Mcloyd
Gausi, Harriet
Kayinga, Walusako
Chikagwa-Malunga, Susan
Kulemeka, Elestina
Mwendia, Solomon
Notenbaert, An
author_sort Homann-kee Tui, Sabine
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Livestock is central to the livelihoods of most rural households in Malawi, significantly contributing to nutrition, income, soil fertility and resilience. Although livestock numbers are increasing, productivity (production per animal) remains below potential. One of the major binding constraints in the livestock sector is insufficient quantity and quality of livestock feed throughout much of the year. These feed gaps are driven by shrinking grazing areas due to increased conversion of grazing land to cropland, land fragmentation and land degradation from continuous cultivation leading to declining soil fertility and increased erosion. Other contributing factors are the weak and underdeveloped pasture seed systems, inadequate pasture management, and low farmer awareness leading to limited adoption of cultivated forages. Smallholder farmers typically own a few animals; it is therefore important that these animals are productive and well-integrated into the mixed farming system. The currently fragmented institutional landscape and absence of coordinated leadership hinder the necessary integrated approach. A Forages Technical Working Group (TWG) is proposed as a national coordination and advisory platform to align stakeholders, strengthen pasture seed systems, and scale forage–livestock–crop integration for improved livestock production, whilst also enhancing land restoration and climate-resilience.
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spelling CGSpace1798242026-01-24T02:08:02Z Strengthening forages and pasture seed systems for climate-resilient, productive and inclusive mixed farming in Malawi: A case for establishing a forages Technical Working Group (TWG) Homann-kee Tui, Sabine Hami, Joseph Makalani, Andrew Banda, Mcloyd Gausi, Harriet Kayinga, Walusako Chikagwa-Malunga, Susan Kulemeka, Elestina Mwendia, Solomon Notenbaert, An pastures seed sustainable intensification feed crops multi-stakeholder processes mixed farming inclusion Livestock is central to the livelihoods of most rural households in Malawi, significantly contributing to nutrition, income, soil fertility and resilience. Although livestock numbers are increasing, productivity (production per animal) remains below potential. One of the major binding constraints in the livestock sector is insufficient quantity and quality of livestock feed throughout much of the year. These feed gaps are driven by shrinking grazing areas due to increased conversion of grazing land to cropland, land fragmentation and land degradation from continuous cultivation leading to declining soil fertility and increased erosion. Other contributing factors are the weak and underdeveloped pasture seed systems, inadequate pasture management, and low farmer awareness leading to limited adoption of cultivated forages. Smallholder farmers typically own a few animals; it is therefore important that these animals are productive and well-integrated into the mixed farming system. The currently fragmented institutional landscape and absence of coordinated leadership hinder the necessary integrated approach. A Forages Technical Working Group (TWG) is proposed as a national coordination and advisory platform to align stakeholders, strengthen pasture seed systems, and scale forage–livestock–crop integration for improved livestock production, whilst also enhancing land restoration and climate-resilience. 2025-12 2026-01-14T13:06:33Z 2026-01-14T13:06:33Z Brief https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179824 en Open Access application/pdf Homann-kee Tui, S.; Hami, J.; Makalani, A.; Banda, M.; Gausi, H.; Kayinga, W.; Chikagwa-Malunga, S.; Kulemeka, E.; Mwendia, S.; Notenbaert, A. (2025) Strengthening forages and pasture seed systems for climate-resilient, productive and inclusive mixed farming in Malawi: A case for establishing a forages Technical Working Group (TWG). 7 p.
spellingShingle pastures
seed
sustainable intensification
feed crops
multi-stakeholder processes
mixed farming
inclusion
Homann-kee Tui, Sabine
Hami, Joseph
Makalani, Andrew
Banda, Mcloyd
Gausi, Harriet
Kayinga, Walusako
Chikagwa-Malunga, Susan
Kulemeka, Elestina
Mwendia, Solomon
Notenbaert, An
Strengthening forages and pasture seed systems for climate-resilient, productive and inclusive mixed farming in Malawi: A case for establishing a forages Technical Working Group (TWG)
title Strengthening forages and pasture seed systems for climate-resilient, productive and inclusive mixed farming in Malawi: A case for establishing a forages Technical Working Group (TWG)
title_full Strengthening forages and pasture seed systems for climate-resilient, productive and inclusive mixed farming in Malawi: A case for establishing a forages Technical Working Group (TWG)
title_fullStr Strengthening forages and pasture seed systems for climate-resilient, productive and inclusive mixed farming in Malawi: A case for establishing a forages Technical Working Group (TWG)
title_full_unstemmed Strengthening forages and pasture seed systems for climate-resilient, productive and inclusive mixed farming in Malawi: A case for establishing a forages Technical Working Group (TWG)
title_short Strengthening forages and pasture seed systems for climate-resilient, productive and inclusive mixed farming in Malawi: A case for establishing a forages Technical Working Group (TWG)
title_sort strengthening forages and pasture seed systems for climate resilient productive and inclusive mixed farming in malawi a case for establishing a forages technical working group twg
topic pastures
seed
sustainable intensification
feed crops
multi-stakeholder processes
mixed farming
inclusion
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179824
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