1.0 What is MaFAAS?
The Malawi Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (MaFAAS) is an umbrella organization of agricultural extension and advisory service (AEAS) providers, actors and stakeholders in Malawi. MaFAAS is a member of the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS). The vision of MaFAAS is “agricultural advisory services that efficiently and effectively contribute to sustained growth and transformation of agriculture”. MaFAAS also takes on its mission as, “to create harmonization, standardization and add value to initiatives in agricultural advisory services through sharing of information and increase professional interaction”. For more details on MaFAAS objectives, membership and other relevant information visit our website www.mafaas.org.
2.0 Why MaFAAS Extension Week?
The MaFAAS Extension Week is a five-day event aimed at providing maximum time to stakeholders in extension and advisory services from Malawi and beyond to share experiences and lessons, network, discuss critical issues and develop an action plan to address the issues. This is a departure from the one to two day MaFAAS workshops which were held from 2011 to 2014 in which stakeholders expressed the need for more time for this annual gathering. The first Extension Week was held in 2015, followed by the second one in 2016. The 2017 MaFAAS Extension Week will be the third in three successive years..
2.1 What is the Theme?
The theme for 2017 Extension Week is “Enabling agricultural extension and advisory services for agricultural transformation and growth”. The theme was selected in recognition of the fact that there are several innovations that have been developed and are being implemented. The aim then is to channel these innovations to agricultural extension and advisory services which will lead to the efficiency and effectiveness towards agricultural transformation.
2.2 Sub-Themes?
The sub-themes under the conference include;
- Climate smart agriculture
- Responsive extension approaches and practices
- ICT
- Gender and youth
- Nutrition
- Integrating livestock and fisheries
- Extension and advisory services policies and strategies
- Coordination
- Agriculture
- Nutrition
- Gender
- Land and collateral law
- Accountability
- Financing extension
- Science agenda for agriculture in Africa (S3A)
- Farmers as providers and users of extension services
- Experiences
- Governance
- Accountability
- Infrastructure
- Extension in value chains
- Markets
- Processing
- Financial inclusiveness for rural communities
- Infrastructure support for agriculture productivity
- Emerging value chains
- Learning from failures
- Learning from past initiatives and technologies that failed
2.3 Where Is It Taking Place?
The proposed venue for 3rd MaFAAS Extension Week is Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC).
2.4 When Is It Happening?
The Extension Week will be conducted from 19th to 23rd June 2017.
3.0 Who Should Participate?
Participants to the meeting will be all those interested to participate, both local and international. These include government departments, civil society organizations (Non-Governmental Organizations, Farmer organizations), donor agencies, agricultural training institutions (universities and colleges), banks, the media, research institutions, agro processors, input and produce traders, transporters, Agricultural Development Division representatives, District Agriculture Offices representatives; District Agriculture Extension Services System representatives, frontline agricultural extension and advisory service providers, consultants and individual practitioners in agricultural extension and advisory services.
4.0 Can I Present a Paper, Poster or Make an Exhibition?
Individuals and organizations/institutions are invited to prepare abstracts, papers or posters on topics related to the central theme of the Extension Week or any of the above related sub-themes.
Research and philosophically based papers, as well as papers based on practical experience, will be considered. All proposals will be peer reviewed:
4.1 Proposals and Papers
- A summary of a minimum of 200 words for the proposal and maximum of 10,000 words for the paper, with clear reference to (a) Introduction (b) Purpose of the paper (c) Methods or data sources, (or reasoning used in theoretical/philosophical papers) (d) Results, (e) Conclusions and extension implications.
- Should have Times New Roman font, font size of 12 and 1.5 line spacing.
- Separate title page with name(s) of author(s) and full contact information.E-mail address is especially important.
- Submission by e-mail in Microsoft Word to the e-mail address below.
4.2 Posters
- Indicate a) Purpose of the paper b) Results c) Extension implications.
- Should be clear and with color.
- Should have the following sizes A1, A2, A3 & A4.
4.3 Exhibitions
There will be cubicles where individuals and organizations will showcase their current or future activities and products related to the central theme of the Extension Week or any of the above related sub-themes. The potential exhibitors should state the day when they wish to make their exhibitions and describe their exhibition in a half page concept note with pictures if possible.
All the Proposals, Papers, Posters and Exhibition Concepts Are Due Not Later Than 02 June 2017 and should be sent to the MaFAAS Secretariat, E-mail: [email protected], Cell: 0999638978 or 0995722265.
5.0 What to Expect During the Week?
- Monday: Climate Smart Agriculture and Policy Day – speeches, presentations, discussions, exhibitions, panel discussions, posters.
- Tuesday: Farmers Day - speeches, presentations, discussions, exhibitions, panel discussions, posters.
- Wednesday: ICT Based Extension Day - speeches, presentations, discussions, exhibitions, panel discussions, posters.
- Thursday: Private Sector Day - speeches, presentations, discussions, exhibitions, panel discussions, posters.
- Friday: Extension Future Day - speeches, presentations, discussions, panel discussions, posters.
6.0 How Will the Weather Be in Lilongwe, June 2017?
Expect maximum day temperature of 24 Degrees Celsius, minimum night temperature of 8 Degrees Celsius, 8 hours of sunshine, 11 hours of day light per day, no heat and humidity.
7.0 How Do I Provide Funds to Support the Event?
If you would like to support the Extension Week in cash or in kind, please contact the Secretariat through [email protected], Cell: 0999638978 or 0995722265 to get more information on the items you can support. Account details of MaFAAS are Bank: NBS Bank, Account Name: Malawi Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services, Branch: Lilongwe, Local Currency Account Number 17526383, Foreign Currency Account Number 17526391.