Quarterly Report April - June 2016: Strengthening Agricultural and Nutrition Extension

Four key lessons were learned during this period: a significant lack of understanding of the purpose of DAESS, staff challenges within the Department of Agricultural Extension Services (DAES), delays in approving concept notes and start-up of joint activities, and a culture within the government expecting allowances for meeting and workshop participants. Despite these challenges, the project continued to finalize all components of its baseline to accurately set targets for impact indicators. Each District Agriculture Office prepared proposals for improving the effectiveness of the DAESS in their districts, which were reviewed and three key activities were identified for joint collaboration across specific districts. Project staff also participated in Agricultural Sector Wide Approach Technical Working Group meetings and national clusters to prepare for and respond to emergencies, prioritizing their participation to ensure that nutrition remains a key element of agriculture extension approaches and to promote increased participation in DAESS. The project commenced preparation for the launch, which was accepted to be hosted by the Program Manager of the Lilongwe Agricultural Development Division. Senior Chief Kalumbu gave approval for the launch to be held in his area, scheduled for 21 July 2016 at Sonkhwe Primary School in Nyanja Extension Planning Area. The launch aimed to involve diverse agricultural stakeholders from the public and private sectors, with the goal of promoting the benefits of the DAESS system. The project's personnel and organizational structure were established during this quarter, with Marie Cadrin serving as the Chief of Party and Paul McNamara as the Project Director. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was the implementing partner, with a team of staff members based in Lilongwe, Malawi. The project's monitoring, evaluation, and reporting framework was also established, with a focus on tracking progress towards project objectives and impact indicators. The project's collaboration and coordination efforts were ongoing, with a focus on building relationships with key stakeholders, including government departments, civil society organizations, and private sector partners. The project's crosscutting themes, including environment, technology, and learning by doing, were also addressed during this quarter, with a focus on integrating these themes into project activities and outcomes. The project's result areas, including policy environment improvement, coordination and capacity of extension service providers, and institutional linkages between research and extension, were also addressed during this quarter. The project's baseline data collection was completed, and proposals for improving the effectiveness of the DAESS were prepared and reviewed. The project's priorities for the next quarter included finalizing the launch preparations, continuing to build relationships with key stakeholders, and addressing the challenges faced by the DAES.