Yesterday, the Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Development Cooperation at the Royal Norwegian Embassy to Malawi, Rannveig Rajendram, visited Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources to appreciate the impact of research, infrastructure, and development initiatives supported by the Government of Norway.
The visit coincided with the 5th FoodMa Annual Meeting held at LUANAR Bunda Campus on 7th May, 2026 — a bilateral engagement between the governments of Malawi and Norway to discuss implementation progress of the Sustainable Food Systems Programme. FoodMa, which started in 2021, is funded by the Government of Norway to the tune of NOK 48 million and is coordinated by LUANAR in collaboration with the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). The programme is being implemented in Rumphi, Mzimba, Kasungu, Mchinji, and Dowa districts.
During the visit, Mrs. Rajendram toured key facilities established with Norwegian support, including the Kristine Bonnevie Girls Hostel and the Norway Teaching Complex. She also interacted with researchers showcasing commissioned studies implemented under FoodMa.

Reflecting on the tour, Mrs. Rajendram observed that "the tour demonstrated the successful cooperation between the governments of Norway and Malawi which has resulted in transforming LUANAR," attributing this to continued capacity building support and infrastructure development. She further noted that "academic institutions such as LUANAR and NMBU are important in spearheading knowledge generation," and expressed satisfaction that the cooperation between LUANAR and Norway is still going on.

The Malawi Government delegation was led by Mr. Daisi Kachingwe Phiri from the Office of the Secretary to the Treasury, who chaired the annual meeting. In his remarks, Mr. Kachingwe Phiri noted that "the annual meeting was meant to reaffirm the strong and cordial relationship between the Governments and peoples of Malawi and Norway," adding that the Government of Malawi greatly values Norway's continued support toward Malawi's development agenda, particularly in strengthening resilient and sustainable food systems. He further observed that "FoodMa has evolved beyond a conventional research programme into a catalyst for food systems transformation in Malawi, generating practical solutions to challenges such as climate vulnerability, low agricultural productivity, weak input systems, limited value addition, and weak linkages between research, policy, and practice." The Government of Malawi also thanked Norway for contributing to LUANAR's evolution into a hub of science and knowledge generation since the early 1990s.
The showcased research reflects the growing role of science, innovation, and international collaboration in addressing Malawi's agricultural and food systems challenges. Researchers from the Departments of Crop and Soil Sciences and Horticulture led the highlighted projects, while other departments, including Animal Science, Aquaculture and Fisheries Science, and Food Science, also presented transformative research initiatives aimed at supporting national development and sustainable food systems.