About Us
LUANAR EXTENSION DEPARTMENT
The Department offers one BSc, one MSc and one PhD programmes. Whilst taking courses from the department of Extension, our students also take courses from other departments. The vision of the Department is to become a Centre of excellence in training, research outreach and consultancy in agricultural extension and rural development within Malawi and the region.
Its mission is to advance and promote knowledge and practical skills in extension and rural development through teaching, research, outreach and consultancies with the aim of promoting agricultural production, rural incomes and ultimately livelihoods improvement for the majority of small holder’s farmers in Malawi and the region.
Focal Areas for Research, Outreach and Teaching
The faculty members and students of Extension Department at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources have over the years been engaged in research and outreach activities on the tenets of agricultural extension and rural development. Particularly the department offers courses to undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate studies In agricultural extension and rural development, conducts research and outreach activities on agricultural extension, land tenure, agricultural innovation systems, agrarian transformation, development policy analysis, cooperatives and associations, food security, poverty and livelihoods, and agricultural markets and marketing plus gender and development and ICTs in development.
Undergraduate Programme
We offer a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Extension with core competences in agriculture and rural development. The BSc programme is unique and robust as it exposes students to practical issues in extension studies and work through implementation of an action research project by students, and a combination of practical courses and field work with Important agricultural actors in Malawi. BSc programme admits students on generic and mature basis. The generic students come through from high school and spend a year doing foundation courses before diving into the core courses of the programme from second to fourth year. Mature students come in second year.
Postgraduate programmes
The department runs Masters of Rural Development and Extension and Doctor of Philosophy in Rural Development and Extension. The MSc and PhD programmes train system thinkers with capabilities of designing, implementing and analyzing policies, programmes and projects in rural and international development fields.