Malawi Charts a New Path for Fertilizer and Soil Health Roadmap When the sun rose over Lake Malawi shinning on Salima on 18 November 2025, it marked more than the start of another technical meeting. It signalled the beginning of a national turning point. Malawi, a country whose food systems depend heavily on the health […]
When the sun rose over Lake Malawi shinning on Salima on 18 November 2025, it marked more than the start of another technical meeting. It signalled the beginning of a national turning point. Malawi, a country whose food systems depend heavily on the health of its soil, will start an ambitious journey to chart ways for implementation and domestication of Fertilizer and Soil Health action Plans.
Sustain Africa as lead for the private sector Coalition under the by African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) to spearhead the continent-wide implementation and domestication of the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan (AFSH-AP), arrived in Malawi after similar efforts as was in Senegal, to support the country domesticates its own Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan and turn it into a living, actionable blueprint. In partnership with Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and working MwAPATA Institute, and the Ministry of Agriculture’s Department of Land Resources Conservation, the convention brought together a diverse cast of actors from government and academia. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is funding Sustain Africa to support these efforts in Senegal, Malawi and Mozambique.
The work began in Salima, where a focused write-shop brought experts around tables. Here, they refined the implementation roadmap of the Malawi Action Plan on Fertilizer and Soil Health (MAP-FSH), aligning it with regional and continental goals while grounding it firmly in Malawi’s realities. The conversation shifted to Lilongwe, where the stakeholder validation workshop took on a broader dimension. Representatives from the private sector, civil society, academia, and development partners weighed in on the direction of the country’s soil health agenda.
Establishment of Soil Health Management Committee (SHMC)
Out of that realization emerged one of the week’s most consequential decisions: the creation of the Soil Health Management Committee (SHMC). The SHMC is designed as a national nerve center for soil health action. It will bring together ministries, NGOs, private sector players like the Fertilizer Association of Malawi, scientists, and CGIAR partners under the oversight of the Ministry of Agriculture.
The committee will coordinate the rollout of the action plan, track progress, flag gaps, and keep the national conversation alive. It will also be the engine driving the financing effort, engaging funders and investors to determine what they can support and how, and then updating the national financing and investment plan accordingly.
Way Forward
Malawi must now move from broad agreements to clear, time-bound commitments. Ministries and organizations need to identify focal points who will be accountable for delivery. The establishment of the SHMC marked a pivotal step, promising to transform efforts into a coordinated national movement.
In a country where healthy soil is the foundation of food security and resilience, this shift could not be timelier. Malawi now stands at the threshold of a new chapter one where better-managed soils, smarter fertilizer use, and stronger institutions converge to build a more food-secure future.
