Abstract:

The agroforestry study visits to Malawi and Zambia from 20 to 30 January 2002 was sponsored by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and co-hosted by CTA and the Malawi Agroforestry Extension (MAFE) Project, in cooperation with Malawi’s Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation. CTA was established in 1983 under the Lomé Convention between ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) Group of States and the European Union Member States and now operates under the Cotonou Agreement. Its tasks are to develop and provide services that improve access to information in agricultural and rural development and to strengthen capacity of ACP countries to produce, acquire, exchange and utilise information in these areas. CTA organises study visits as one of its strategies for promoting the exchange of information. The MAFE Project was established through a collaborative grant agreement between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Washington State University and is implemented by the Land Resources Conservation Department in Malawi’s Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation. The project aims to improve natural resource management and sustained farm productivity by encouraging the adoption of agroforestry and soil conservation practices.