On Tuesday, 17 September the Civil Society Agriculture Network (CISANET) had a highly interactive dinner meeting with the new Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture at BICC in Lilongwe. The meeting aimed at introducing the Network to the committee and establish a working relationship with the members. Over 60 people, representing different actors in the agriculture sector, attended the meeting. These included leaders of the committee and their members, senior officials from a cross section of international and local Civil Society Organisations as well as other key stakeholders in the agriculture sector such as representatives from UN agencies, the private sector, and the media.

The 2019 National Agriculture Fair, organised by the Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) together with the Ministry of Agriculture, provided another platform for the National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi (NASFAM), to showcase its excellence in agro-processing. Their efforts did not go unnoticed. They were awarded the best agro-processor trophy for the fifth consecutive year, and nine in total.

In an effort to empower rural women and girls in different areas of the country, Rural Women’s Assembly (RWA) – Malawi Chapter, has launched a 50-50 campaign aimed at mobilizing community members to vote for women aspirants in the forthcoming tripartite elections.

Climate change continues to heap misery on human life each passing year. Floods, dry spells, intermittent rainfall, heatwaves and famine, among others, have become so rampant in recent years. More action is needed to address the root cause at community, national and global level.