2022 Accomplishments
To address the agriculture impact of the declining demand for tobacco in Malawi, a country where tobacco accounts for more than 60% of the country’s total earnings, the Foundation is making grants that will help diversify Malawi’s tobacco dependent economy. The Foundation’s affiliate, the Agricultural Transformation Initiative, is managing the following Foundation grant projects that are exploring and promoting sustainable agricultural alternatives for smallholder tobacco farmers and tobacco land.
The Centre for Agricultural Transformation (CAT) is a science, business, and technology incubation hub that brings together farmers, researchers, businesses, aspiring entrepreneurs, academia and students. The goal of the CAT is to transform Malawian agriculture systems and the lives of smallholder farmers by giving them access to innovation in agricultural science and technology. In 2022, the CAT achieved several successes, including:
The MwAPATA Institute is an independent agricultural policy think tank in Malawi. It is funded in part by grants made by the Foundation through Michigan State University. The Institute generates evidence that it uses as it engages the Executive Branch of Malawi’s Government, Malawi’s private sector, and civil society stakeholders in applied policy analysis, capacity building, and agricultural diversification coordination. In 2022, the MwAPATA Institute achieved, including other things, the following:
The Foundation believes human capacity building is needed for the development and adoption of agricultural diversification in Malawi. Therefore, Foundation grants are supporting three scholarship programs: The Agricultural Transformation Initiative Fellowship and Scholarship Fund, the Centre for Agricultural Transformation Scholarship program and the Rotary Club Scholarship program. These scholarship programs provide promising students with opportunities to study in leading international institutions. In 2022, a total of 38 master’s students and postdoctoral fellows furthered their education in areas relevant to agricultural diversification.
