COMMODITIES/AREAS:

DARS is divided into six commodity areas;

• Cereals: maize, rice, sorghum/millet and wheat;
• Horticulture: vegetables, spices, fruits, tree nut, coffee, roots and tubers;
• Grain Legumes, Oil seeds and Fiber Crops: groundnut, sunflower, bean, pegionpea, cowpeas, soy bean and cotton;
• Livestock and Pastures: dairy, beef and small ruminants;
• Soils and Agricultural Engineering: soil fertility and agronomy, farm machinery and agro-processing, irrigation and drainage;
• Plant Protection: field disease and insect pest management; and crop storage.

·         Agricultural Research Stations

·         The Department has three Agricultural Research Stations namely

• Chitedze Research Station which specializes in field crops
• Bvumbwe Research Station which specializes in Horticulture
•  Lunyangwa Research Station which specializes in Tree crops such as coffee and macadamia

·         Agricultural Experiment Stations

• Agricultural Experiment Stations coordinate at least one of the Commodities. DARS has 4 Agricultural Experimental stations namely: Kasinthula, Makoka, Lifuwu, Mkondezi:
• Agricultural Experiment Sub-stations
• Agricultural Experiment Sub-stations are agro-ecological trial centres for testing promising technologies. There are 9 Agricultural Experiment Sub-stations namely: Ngabu, Bembeke, Tsangano, Chitala, Mbawa, Ntchena-chena, Bolero, Baka, Meru.

• DARS conducts collaborative research programmes with various partners. such collaboration enables the Department to leverage expertise, funding and broadens coverage of its research activities and services. Some of the major partners are as follows:-
• Local research institutions (e.g. Tea Research Foundation, Forestry Research Institute of Malawi);
• Academic institutions (e.g. Bunda College of Agriculture; Chancellor College; Mzuzu University);
• Regional Institutions (e.g. SADC Plant Genetic Resources Centre, Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau);
• International Research Institutes (e.g. Natural Resources Institute);
• CGIAR Centres (e.g. ICRISAT, IITA/CIP, CIAT, CIMMYT, ICRAF)
• Farmers Organizations: e.g. Association of Small Seed Multiplication Action
• Group, National Association of Smallholder Farmers in Malawi and Farmer Union of Malawi.);
• Sister departments in the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development;
• Private Sector (traders and manufactures).

• The proposed areas of investment cover areas that currently are not being adequately addressed due to limited capacity (human and infrastructure). These are as follows:
• Plant genetic resources conservation;
• Climate change adaptation;
• Small-scale farm mechanization and agro-processing;
• Livestock and pastures;
• Irrigation;
• Nutrition and food technology;
• Biotechnology

 Visit DARS website by clicking the link below
Department of Agriculture research services