On 22-23 October 2008, the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa Project (DTMA) held meetings in Malawi for stakeholders in the maize value chain to discuss the rationale and implementation plans for the Innovation Learning Platform (ILeP) at the national and district levels. The ILeP was launched in August 2008 and will be implemented in Balaka District of Malawi. Multiple stakeholders will work synergistically to ensure that farmers increase their incomes through access to maize production inputs (improved maize varieties, fertilizer, and credit) and to output markets. Diverse stakeholders—which include the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, researchers, extension agents, seed producers, agro-dealers, marketing companies, non-governmental organizations, micro-financial institutions, and farmers— agreed on their respective roles. Augustine Langyintuo, John MacRobert, and Peter Setimela presented on CIMMYT’s behalf, and DTMA project leader Wilfred Mwangi took part in discussions.
