Malawi Registers Over 3.4 Million Farming Households in National Agriculture Management Information

Ministry of Agriculture has said the nationwide rollout of National Agriculture Management Information System (NAMIS), which began with the farmer organization module also known as farm household registration, registered and geo-mapped 3,446,147 farming household profiles, including their respective land parcels.

NAMIS is a comprehensive information management system designed to enhance agricultural data management and structured into 17 specialized modules, Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale told Parliament.

Each module is designed to collect and manage different types of agricultural data, he said.

During farmer registration in the farmer organization module, the ministry collaborated with the Centre for Agricultural Research and Development (CARD) at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR).

Kawale said this move aimed to ensure that the registration process was objective and independent.

"Following the data collection phase, data underwent thorough management, processing, and validation.

"The consultant, working closely with the Ministry, district councils, and other relevant institutions, have ensured that the data is accurate, reliable, and ready for use in planning and decision-making for various agricultural interventions".

He added the farmer register is a dynamic system, which will continually evolve to reflect the changing status and activities of farmers.

"It is critical that the register remains up-to-date to ensure that the information we collect is always accurate, accessible, and useful for agricultural planning, policy-making, and support services.

"To maintain the integrity and functionality of the register, the Ministry will continue to update it through its established structures and systems, ensuring that it remains ready for immediate use by all stakeholders at any time".

The other modules for NAMIS, include: Agriculture Statistics, Trade and Marketing, Food Security, Extension and Nutrition, Meteorology, Resource Mapping, Animal Health and Livestock, Land Resource Management, NAMIS Public Portal, Crop and Plant Health, Public Agriculture Monitoring Activity, Fisheries, Water and Irrigation, Non-State Actor Monitoring, Social Accountability, Human Resource and Administration.

According to Kawale, each of these modules includes a set of questionnaires configured within the NAMIS system, ensuring that data is collected comprehensively and analyzed effectively.

This system will serve as a critical tool for agricultural planning, policy-making, and service delivery in Malawi, the minister stated.

"This initiative represents a transformative step in the way we manage agricultural data in Malawi, moving away from traditional paper-based methods to a modern, digital platform that will revolutionize the management of agricultural sector data from generation, analysis, reporting and dissemination .

"It provides timely and accurate information to stakeholders and supporting more informed decision-making across the sector, a game-changer for Malawi's agricultural sector.

"By providing a digital platform for data collection, analysis, and decision-making, it will empower farmers, improve agricultural productivity, and ensure that we are prepared for the challenges and opportunities ahead," Kawale said.

This article was originally published Nyasa Times.