On October 2, 2018, IFPRI Malawi hosted a research seminar, "Scaling up of Agricultural Technology in Malawi: A study of approaches used by agricultural research and development organizations," led by Frank Place, Director of the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets. The seminar offered findings from a recent study conducted of agricultural research and development organizations in Malawi, aiming to determine which agricultural technologies and associated scaling up approaches are most widely used and/or successful.

1. Scaling up of Agricultural Technology in Malawi: A
study of approaches used by agricultural research
and development organizations
Frank Place, Policies, Institutions, and Markets CGIAR Research Programs
Joseph Makuwira, Nova Business
Joseph Dzanja, Nova Business
Charity Chonde, Nova Business
Emma Willenborg, Georgetown University
Evan Bartlett, Georgetown University
Nikunj Beria, Georgetown University

2. Rationale for the Study: Why this topic, why Malawi?
The CGIAR is attempting to strengthen the collaboration of centers working in the same country
CGIAR Research Programs look to support this process
General discussions on the topic of scaling up were held with Irish Aid in Dublin
It was suggested that Malawi would be ideal given the number of CGIAR centers involved in
scaling up activities and the upcoming KULIMA project
A discussion among several CGIAR centers confirmed that such a study could be valuable
The study was broadened beyond just the CGIAR in order to better understand the range of
methods being used and opportunities for improvement

3. Objectives
To identify the technologies and associated scaling up approaches
(including methods, partnerships) being undertaken by CGIAR,
other agricultural research institutes and development
organizations in Malawi
To compile and assess evidence and self assessments on the
performance of the approaches/methods
To identify common challenges in scaling up and
recommendations for improvements over the current situation

4. Study Methodology
Relied on voluntary submissions of surveys and/or face to face meetings
Started with CGIAR centers and lists of organizations and then were directed to others as the
process unfolded
Nova Business managed this, but a team from the US was also in Malawi for one week in March
when interviews were conducted
A meeting among CGIAR centers was held during that week in March to discuss early findings
Two reports have been produced, one by Georgetown University students and one by Nova
Business
The plan is to produce a consolidated report, send around for fact checking and other inputs, and
finalize.

5. Organizations Generously Providing Information
Overall, we had survey responses from 15 organizations and conducted interviews with 26 additional
organizations
A good mix of research and development organizations, private sector companies, some public sector
organizations and leaders of major projects; we also talked to a few key development partners
Interesting contrasts:
• Organizations with placed based orientations versus organizations with technology based
orientations
• Organizations relying on project funding versus organizations with other longer term funding
streams
• Some organizations focus only on Malawi and others have multiple countries of focus

6. From Linn et al 2011
Scaling up: definition for our study
increasing the share of farm households on which the agricultural technologies
are used regularly, including specific target groups where appropriate

7. Information Collected from the Surveys and Interviews
Technologies scaled up
Targeting approach
Overall scaling approach
Methods for information dissemination
Methods for training
Methods for scaling of physical products (e.g. seed)
Activities around policy engagement
Higher level coordination of scaling effort
Research on scaling up methods

8. Agricultural Technologies being Scaled Up in Malawi
Improved seeds – maize, groundnut, soyabean, beans, pigeon pea, cowpea
Improved vegetative material – cassava, potato, sweet potato
Improved fish breeds - tilapia
Techniques for multiplication
Inoculant for legumes
Agroforestry for soil fertility, fodder and fruit
Agronomic practices
Soil conservation, conservation agriculture
Drip irrigation
Fish processing techniques & equipment
PICS bags
And several more….
But scaling methods and approaches are also being scaled up:
Lead Farmer Approach
Farmer Field Schools
Farmer Field and Business School Model
Commercial Village Model Approach

9. Private versus Public Sector Approach:
Depends on the Technology
In practice, even for private goods, there is need for catalytic public sector involvement
Private Goods
•Fertilizer
•Hybrid Maize
•Inoculant
•Commercial soy & groundnuts
•PICS bags
•Aflasafe
•Pesticide/Herbicide
Private/Common Goods
•Biofortified crops
•Roots and tubers
•Legumes (cowpea, pigeon pea,
beans)
•Recycled/OPV maize
•Recycled soya & groundnuts
Public Goods
•Improved management
techniques
•Knowledge on improved
varieties and practices
•Farm-to-market roads
•Public radio and SMS
Club Goods
•Warehouse
•Irrigation systems
•Agro-processing equipment
•Planting and harvesting
equipment (mechanization)
LowPotentialforCompetitionHigh

10. Relationships Among Agriculture Organizations

11. Types of Approaches and Methods Used in Scaling Up
Approaches are used for:
• Improving the policy environment
• Creating awareness of technology
• Capacity building in understanding and use of the technology
• Developing systems for making available physical products (e.g. seed, inoculant, equipment)
Policies affect all the organizations in one way or another
There are several new policies that are yet to be finalized or implemented (seed policy, …..)
There were several examples of policy engagement (e.g. contribution to the new Seed Act,
seed certification standards, variety testing regulations, promotion of technologies in
programming, local level by-law reforms)

12. Types of Approaches and Methods Used in Scaling Up - 2
Approaches catering for:
• Improving the policy environment
• Creating awareness of technology
• Capacity building in understanding and use of the technology
• Developing systems for making available physical products (e.g. seed, inoculant, equipment)
Creating awareness common
methods:
Radio
Demonstration plots
Field visits
Posters
Fairs
SMS/video
Capacity building common methods:
Involve public extension and lead
farmers
Demonstration plots
Trainings (e.g. FFS)
Hiring of technical field staff
Involvement of NGOs (for CGIAR
institutes)
Seed systems:
Provide EGS material to private
sector where there is a business case
Provide material to NGO, FA, DAES
and others for testing and
multiplication
Train organizations on multiplication
models where private sector
interests are low (new brands?)

13. Although methods are common, there are differences in application
The way in which organizations combine methods differs and their use of specific methods also
differs.
Example of demonstration plots
Crop variety and input demonstrations involve application techniques and viewing of results
For natural resource management practices, it is more difficult and costly to maintain demos to
observe results
The number/intensity of demos varies widely, apparently linked to funding
Private sector invests in demos for varieties where demand is already manifested and likely to grow.
For new varieties, project support is often utilized and public organizations will play leading roles

14. Assessment of the scaling up approaches and methods
Hardly without exception, the approaches adopted by organizations seem to be well
thought out
But there is hardly any formal evidence on performance that is used as input
IFPRI has a growing number of studies in Malawi but they still do not address the
many methods and approaches used in Malawi
Therefore, there are different views on the value of conventional methods and
approaches or the potential of relatively new ones

15. There is relatively little assessment of scaling up methods as compared to the
amount of research behind the development of technology
Scaling up of technology is driven significantly by projects and their
characteristics, short term funding and targets
The number of different organizations with scaling up targets suggests high
potential for inefficiency and missed opportunities for collaboration
Lack of coordination at different levels -- those with innovations to scale up do so
largely independent of others who aim to reach the same beneficiaries
Key Concerns - 1

16. Public extension becomes involved in very ad hoc ways, some personnel are trained
very well on some interventions but there is no mainstreaming; few funds support
major public extension needs and parallel processes are established
Free distribution of technology fosters handout mentality and may stifle private
investment
The dominant sector for development is the crop sector and yet needed policy
reforms and implementation are still to be enacted
Instability of output markets, export and domestic, is common and works against
adoption of technology
Key Concerns - 2

17. Conducting rigorous tests are difficult – with PIM, we have had about 8 such tests going on,
but it is really scratching the surface and RCTs and the like can’t really be applied to complex
approaches
Furthermore, scaling approaches are confounded with:
• the attractiveness of the technology itself – a great scaling approach may not be
effective if the technology is not perceived to be highly beneficial
• the policy and regulatory environment where some sub-sectors may be advantaged
over others, e.g. through the FISP program, lack of suppression of counterfeit seed
So it is not easy to identify a useful research strategy around scaling up methods!
Research on scaling up methods

18. Just concluded conference on scaling up at Purdue University: https://ag.purdue.edu/scaleup/Pages/default.aspx
Root, Tuber and Banana CRP:
Scaling up readiness tool: https://www.bioversityinternational.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Scaling_Sartas_2017.pdf
CIMMYT:
Scaling Scan Tool: https://www.cimmyt.org/scaling-scan-a-simple-tool-for-big-impact/
In PIM, will develop some synthesis around extension method studies
GIZ Task Force on Scaling – currently experts in CIAT, WorldFish, CIFOR, CIMMYT, but expected to grow
https://cgspace.cgiar.org/bitstream/handle/10568/97465/Task-Force-on-Scaling.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Global scaling up community of practice, led by MSI: http://msiscalingup.wpengine.com/?page_id=21
Agriculture and rural development working group facilitated by IFAD http://www.agriscale4dev.org/
Many Resources Available

19. Recommendations - Incremental
At a minimum
Include qualitative assessments of methods
involving farmers and other actors
Conduct more self assessments of scaling
up methods
Share experiences through a formalized
process
Could be started by CGIAR centers
Learning and
improvement of
methods used in short
term
Rethinking projects to accommodate:
Longer durations
Reductions in short term targets
Including more assessment of scaling
approaches
Investing in longer term impact
Learning and
improvement of
methods used in longer
term

20. Recommendations – More transformative
More coordination across projects:
Maintaining a database of scaling up
activities
Scaling up components of projects to be
planned collaboratively (i.e. building on
existing ones)
More coordination of sector scaling up:
Scaling up to be coordinated at country
and/or district levels by the government
Policy reforms:
Urgent attention to critical policy needs in
the crop sector
In addition to promotion of growth,
fostering stability in markets is critical
To reorient scaling efforts of
technology from largely supply
driven to demand driven
To improve incentives for
technology adoption and possibly
reducing funds on scaling up.
To enhance efficiency and
effectiveness of funds spent on
scaling up

21. Zikomo Kwambiri.