Rolling out of agro-ecology practices in Lukudzi Section, Ntcheu, Malawi: A case study

This bulletin has been prepared by the Malawi Agro-Ecological Intensification (AEI) hub as a case study to highlight how AEI practices are being rolled out in Chibale Model Village, Likudzi Section, Manjawila Extension planning Area (EPA) in Ntcheu district. The efforts are led by public extension service, using multi-model extension approach-es and multi-stakeholder collaboration to harness synergy. FAO (2018) suggested ten elements of agro-ecology as analytical tools to help in identifying important properties of agro-ecological systems and approaches and also relevant considerations in developing enabling environments for agro-ecology. The ten elements also serve as guide to policy makers, practitioners and stakeholders in planning, managing and evaluating agro-ecological transitions. Thus the same FAO’s (2018) ten elements have been used as basis for appraisal. The review shows that all ten elements are being promoted in the area, with variation in intensity and scale, and also some more directly and others more indi-rectly. We identified areas needing more emphasis as market linkages, and responsible local governance to enable protection of resources in the field such as plant material used as cover in CA systems and long duration crops such as pigeon peas and cassava, from uncontrolled fires and free ranging animals. Through farmer field schools farmers are generating evidence of the use of neem leaf powder as organic treatment for notorious fall army worm infestation in maize. This is commendable and is worth scaling out.