By Roy Howa
Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Dr Shadric Namalomba has commended the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) for advancing digital innovations aimed at transforming agriculture and supporting Malawi 2063.
Namalomba made the remarks on Tuesday after touring various technologies at the university’s Bunda Campus, including artificial intelligence (AI) applications, drone systems, a farmer call centre and digital platforms designed to improve agricultural productivity.He said the innovations align with the Agriculture Productivity and Commercialisation pillar under Malawi 2063, describing them as key to building a self-reliant and inclusive upper-middle-income economy.
“LUANAR is transforming agriculture, and it has been an awesome experience to be here,” said Namalomba.
He added that agricultural productivity and commercialisation are among the key pillars of the Malawi 2063 Agenda.During the tour, Namalomba observed technologies including a farmer call centre connecting about four million farmers, a radio platform for agricultural information, drone systems used for field mapping, crop disease detection and spraying, and AI-based tools for diagnosing crop and livestock diseases.
Researchers demonstrated that the drones can spray up to 21 hectares per hour, improving efficiency in farm operations.
Meanwhile, LUANAR Vice Chancellor Professor Emmanuel Kaunda said the university is working with government, the private sector and development partners to develop home-grown digital solutions for agriculture.
“What we have here is not the work of one person or one department or LUANAR alone.
It is about coordinating with partners and the private sector to address challenges facing our agricultural economy,” he said.
Kaunda, however, stressed that the innovations require further government support to be scaled up and reach more farmers nationwide.
He noted that most of the current projects need backing to move from the development stage to wider implementation.
