NAPAS:Malawi Annual Work Plan [FY2016]

These reforms aim to improve the agriculture investment climate and enable increased commercialization of Malawi's agricultural sector. NAPAS:Malawi has three work components: policy formulation, policy communication, and capacity strengthening. The project is implemented by Michigan State University (MSU) and has a budget of $4,002,467, with $1,044,397 allocated for the fourth year of the project. The major expected outcomes categorized by objective include technical support for policy formulation, policy communications, and capacity strengthening. Technical support for policy formulation involves reviewing three Acts, conducting applied research, and supporting the Ministry to finalize several policies and strategies. Policy communications involve working with partner institutions to expand the number of informed actors engaged in evidence-based deliberations on agriculture, food security, and nutrition policy issues. The project will support dissemination of reports of policy formulation activities and value chain studies to inform agriculture sector stakeholders. Capacity strengthening involves working with MoAIWD staff and non-state actors to ensure that analytical techniques are adopted and internalized for policy analysis by government and other stakeholders. NAPAS:Malawi staff will integrate their work with that of others working on the New Alliance initiative in Malawi or on strengthening agricultural policy processes. Regular communication and joint planning with these counterparts will remain an important element in project implementation. The project plans to stick to the workplan in the final year to finish all planned activities by 28 November 2018. The project components include policy formulation, policy communication, and capacity strengthening. NAPAS:Malawi is jointly implemented by Michigan State University (MSU), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and the University of Pretoria (UP) under the leadership of MSU. The project works primarily with the Department of Agricultural Planning Services (DAPS) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Water Development (MoAIWD) of the government of Malawi, but also with other stakeholder institutions in agricultural development and in the New Alliance initiative in Malawi. The Associate Cooperative Agreement for the project was completed and awarded to MSU by USAID/Malawi on 28 November 2014. It was planned to run for three years up to 27 November 2017, with a budget of $3,138,470. Following a request from the Principal Secretary of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development to the Mission Director, the project was extended for one more year and will run through 28 November 2018 with an increased budget of $1,044,397. The project's geographic focus is Malawi, and its implementation is led by Michigan State University. The project's timeframes are from 01 October 2017 to 30 September 2018, corresponding to the 2018 fiscal year of the US government. The project's recommendations include sticking to the workplan in the final year to finish all planned activities by 28 November 2018.