Africa-Press – Malawi. In a major step toward tackling food loss and improving food security, AGRA Malawi on Tuesday launched the RE-GAIN Project at Lilongwe Hotel, marking the beginning of a five-year initiative funded by the Green Climate Fund to the tune of $10.8 million.
The RE-GAIN Project, short for “Reducing Post-Harvest Food Loss through Climate Resilient Solutions,” is part of a larger $105 million continental initiative being rolled out across seven African countries. In Malawi, the project will be implemented in Lilongwe, Kasungu, Balaka, and Mzuzu Agricultural Development Divisions (ADDs), targeting smallholder farmers with innovative solutions to reduce food loss by at least 35%.
Speaking at the launch, Eluphy Nyirenda, Country Director for AGRA Malawi, said the initiative is designed to address the climate-related challenges smallholder farmers face—especially at the post-harvest level—where losses are most acute.
“This is a project that was approved by the Green Climate Fund to look at how climate change affects agricultural production. In Malawi, it will help us reduce the losses that occur during storage, processing, and transportation,” Nyirenda said. “We also want to bring in the private sector and scale up local innovations that can help reduce food waste.”
Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change, Owen Chomanika, who graced the event, hailed the initiative, noting that food loss is not just an agricultural issue, but a development concern that cuts across climate, forestry, and poverty alleviation.
“We have received this project with gladness and gratitude,” said Chomanika. “Because food is not there, people are invading forests to survive. If we reduce food loss and increase production, we can stop the pressure on our natural resources and reduce poverty.”
Malawi, like many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, continues to experience low productivity due to erratic weather patterns, outdated farming techniques, and inadequate storage infrastructure. Studies have shown that while maize varieties can yield up to 13 tonnes per hectare, many smallholder farmers only harvest between two and three tonnes due to poor agronomic practices and climate shocks.
Elda Ndagazira, Director of Rural Development in the Ministry of Agriculture, underscored the importance of bridging the information gap between technical implementers and rural farmers.
“Food loss begins at low productivity. Add in floods, dry spells, and poor storage, and the loss multiplies,” Ndagazira explained. “With capacity building and the right technologies, this project can help reverse that trend.”
The RE-GAIN initiative will also complement government efforts. In May 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture launched a national food loss campaign, and Ndagazira noted that the new project aligns well with those goals.
Beyond technical interventions, the RE-GAIN inception meeting also focused on establishing partnerships among government ministries, research institutions, private sector innovators, and farmer cooperatives to ensure a holistic and coordinated implementation.
Key outcomes expected from the project include stronger stakeholder coordination, increased access to affordable food loss reduction technologies, better policy alignment, and a clear roadmap to make Malawi’s agriculture more climate-resilient and productive.
The launch meeting was attended by officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment, district-level agricultural offices, NGOs, development partners, and representatives from farmer associations—demonstrating broad support for the project’s ambitions.
As the project enters its implementation phase, AGRA Malawi emphasized its commitment to ensuring the interventions have tangible impact for the farmers who need them most.
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