AGRIBUSNESS DEVELOPMENT

Responsible for promoting commercialization of agriculture

FOOD AND NUTRITION

Responsible for ensuring that households achieve food and nutrition security through diversified production and diets

AGRICULTURE GENDER ROLES AND SUPPORT SERVICES

Responsible for mainstreaming gender, HIV and AIDS in Agricultural policies, programs and projects.

District agricultural Extension Services System

The department implements its activities using the District Agricultural Extension Service System (DAES). The system promotes collaboration among stakeholders and assists farmers to articulate their needs or demands for appropriate action by relevant stakeholders.

APPROACHES IN THE DELIVERY OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICES

To ensure that farmers of all gender categories have access to extension services various approaches are used which include:

THE MODEL VILLAGE APPROACH

This is a village where subjects are committed to working together with various service providers to achieve their vision.

CLUSTERS AND MINDANDANDAs

These are platforms for technology dissemination where a collection of farmers manage similar agricultural enterprises in the same catchment area or locality. A Mndandanda is a stretch of well managed fields of different crops.

FARMER FIELD SCHOOLS

These are platforms where farmers of all gender categories acquire knowledge and skills through self discovery using a practical school model approach .

FARM BUSINESS SCHOOLS

Farm business school is a school that trains farmers to practice farming as a business by bringing them together to carry out collective and collaborative inquiries with the purpose of initiating farmers to solve problems.

LEAD FARMERS

This is aimed at increasing extension coverage for improved adoption of technologies using farmer to farmer extension approach. A lead farmer is described as a farmer who has mastered a specific technology and is willing to support fellow farmers.

AGRICULTURAL RESOURCE CENTRES

This is a centre for technology and information dissemination where information and technologies are showcased for easy and equitable access by farmers and other stakeholders.

MULTIMEDIA AGRICULTURAL CAMPAIGNS

This is a campaign that involves the use of different channels in disseminating agricultural information to farmers such as radio, mobile vans, drama, flyers etc

FARMER ORGANISATIONS (clubs, cooperatives, schemes and associations)

This improves farmers’ access to business services such as inputs and output markets, credits, trainings and extension services through increased bargaining power since it encourages farmers to practice farm business as a group

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Director of Agriculture Extension Services (DAES)
Address: Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security
P.O. Box 594 Lilongwe 3
Phone: +265 (0)1 755 522
Fax: +265 (0)1 750 384