Expected impact

Ambition statement -these are narratives of the impact that the RIU programmes expect to achieve by June 2011 - or in some cases further into the future.

Each of the Africa Country Programmes was asked to produce a statement of their ambition for their programme. Each country approached the task slightly differently.

Through the work in Malawi over the next 18 months, over 70,000 farmers will benefit through:

• increase access to fingerlings (small fish) of improved fish strains
• increased access to improved varieties of legumes seeds
• increased productivity and marketing of cotton by applying innovation systems processes
• improved marketing facilities of livestock (pigs)

all of which will add to prosperity and food security in the country.

All of the experiments RIU Malawi is conducting are based on sound research practice. From the natural sciences this may be improved varieties and from social sciences this may be new or improved ways of working to facilitate innovation.

Progress to February 2010	Future targets
Fish farming 4 decentralized hatcheries identified and upgraded for improved fingerlings multiplication. 2 million fingerlings of improved strain made available to fish farmers	5 million fingerlings of Oreochromis shiranus by end of 2010, benefiting 1700 fish farmers This will translate to 400 tonnes of table fish Develop and finalize standards and guidelines for hatchery operators on fingerling production Develop and finalize the marketing strategy for fingerlings and table fish Build capacity of the Innovative Fish Farmers Network (IFFN)
Legumes 5000 kg of basic bean seed produced under irrigation by the private sector farmers under Association of Smallholder Seed Multiplication Action Group (ASSMAG) have been contracted to produce breeder and basic seed of groundnuts, beans and soybeans	28,000 kg of basic legume seed to be produced by end of 2010, benefiting around 7000 farmers Produce material on technical recommendations Advertise seed through posters and brochures Build capacity of ASSMAG
Cotton Conducted farmer-based demonstrations to showcase recommended technologies for improved cotton productivity 420 demonstration plots established, with all stakeholders in cotton participating	Demonstration plots will directly impact on 42,000 farmers by end of season Demonstration plots are intended to increase cotton yields from current 800 kg per hectare to 1500 kg per hectare on 42,000 farms Policy engagement on pricing mechanism of seed cotton Develop a sustainable cotton seed supply system Capacity building of the Cotton Farmers Association of Malawi (COFAM)
Livestock Brokered links between piggery farmer associations and private commercial buyers Construction of 4 decentralized pig markets in progress	19,600 pig farmers are expected to use the 4 markets by 2011 Capacity building activities and development of marketing strategies for the benefit of farmers Facilitate market agreements between private sectors buyers and piggery associations Facilitate training of associations in group dynamics and negotiation skills Plan early exit strategy for RIU

Through to 2011, over 70,000 farmers in Malawi will benefit through:

• increased access to fingerlings (small fish) of improved fish strains
• increased access to improved varieties of legume seeds - through enhanced seed systems for legumes
• increased productivity and marketing of cotton by applying innovation systems processes
• improved marketing facilities of livestock (pigs) and pig products
• Farmers adopted improved ICDM techniques

Outcomes

• Increased and improved agricultural productivity
• Policy makes made aware of the opportunities for using a systems approach
• Trust established between actors in the value chain

Impact
Practical experience of an innovations system approach leading to more effective and efficient integrated approaches at all levels in the production system, with feedback provided to policy makers.