The training is taking place at Grand Palace Hotel in Mzuzu from Monday, 12 January to Wednesday, 13 January 2026. It is focusing on key areas such as emerging trends in food systems governance, food security and nutrition, sustainability and environmental impacts, equity and social justice, food safety, policy analysis, and the role of institutions in food governance.

Opening the training, LUANAR Deputy Vice Chancellor Associate Professor Agnes Mwangwela said the initiative is important because food security in Malawi is influenced by many factors beyond crop production.

“This training is very important because Malawi is an agriculture-based economy, but the supply of our food is not just from production. We need to look at the whole process of how food moves from production to the tables,” said Mwangwela.

She explained that food systems involve many players, policies and regulations that must work together to ensure stable and resilient food supply.

“Through this process, there are so many policies, regulations and stakeholders that have to take part to ensure that we have a resilient and stable food supply,” she said.

Mwangwela added that LUANAR has a responsibility to work closely with communities and institutions to improve food systems in the country.

“As a university, we have a triple mandate: to teach, to conduct research, and to interact with society and provide input to public policy. This training is part of our outreach and our impact on society,” she said.

She also noted that disruptions in areas such as transport and processing can affect food availability and prices, even when production levels are good.

“What happens between production and consumption affects availability and supply for the consumer. That is how broad the food system is, and it involves sectors that may not be agricultural but still affect food supply,” she explained.

Mzuzu Agricultural Development Division (ADD) Programmes Manager, Anderson Chikomola, said bringing together extension workers and lead farmers from different areas will enrich the training.

“The design of this training is very good because farmers from cooperatives and lead farmers have been brought together to interact with LUANAR. This will allow them to share experiences on different aspects of the food system,” said Chikomola.

He said many farming households rely on limited diets, which affects nutrition, and stressed the need for both production and diet diversification.

“Some farmers are not well equipped with knowledge on how to diversify their diets. But diversifying diets cannot just be on the table; farmers also need to diversify production so that consumption improves as well,” he said.

One of the participants, Mr Alfred Jere, a lead farmer from Mpherembe EPA Mzimba North, said the training will help farmers better understand how to use the crops they produce.

“This meeting is important because it will enhance capacity, not only for us here but also for farmers back home, so that when we grow crops, we know how to utilise them properly,” said Jere.

He said farmers in his area are encouraged to grow different crops to reduce dependence on maize alone.

“We urge farmers to diversify. If there is not enough maize, they can use sweet potatoes, sunflower or soya beans as food,” he said.

The FoodMa Programme is being implemented by LUANAR in five districts—Kasungu, Dowa, Mchinji, Mzimba and Rumphi—with funding from the Royal Kingdom of Norway. Last year, similar training sessions were conducted for stakeholders in Dowa, Kasungu and Mchinji districts.

Through this training, LUANAR aims to strengthen capacity for the development of sustainable, inclusive and resilient food systems in Malawi.