From Demonstration to Scaling for Impact: Driving Food Systems Transformation through Innovation in Malawi.

By Greenwell Matchaya, Mahlatse Nkosi and Nora Hanke-Louw

The CGIAR delegation recently took part in the Climate-Resilient Innovation Marketplace and Food Systems 2030 Regional Dialogue, held from May 21 to 23, 2025, in Lilongwe, Malawi. This high-level event—jointly organized by the World Bank, Irish Aid, and the Government of Malawi—served as a vital platform for convening national governments, private sector actors, donor agencies, and research institutions from across Eastern and Southern Africa. The dialogue aimed to accelerate the implementation of the 2025 Kampala Declaration by facilitating peer learning, sharing practical innovations, and co-developing actionable next steps to strengthen food security, nutrition, and resilience. The Innovation Marketplace, in particular, provided a unique space to spotlight scale-ready solutions and foster collaboration between innovators and public decision-makers on how to mainstream climate resilience in agriculture

The CGIAR delegation’s engagement, coordinated through the CGIAR Scaling for Impact (S4I) Program, exemplified a unified system-wide approach to showcasing bundled innovations, fostering strategic partnerships, and articulating integrated pathways to food systems transformation in Africa. The S4I program operates through five interlinked Areas of Work (AoWs): stakeholder engagement, scaling pathways, enabling environments, finance and partnerships, and impact learning. These AoWs served as the guiding framework for the CGIAR’s participation in Malawi, ensuring that innovations addressed national priorities and policy trajectories.

Spotlighting Scale-Ready Innovations for Climate-Resilient Food Systems

At the heart of the Climate-Resilient Innovation Marketplace was a dynamic showcase of scale-ready innovations[1] developed across the CGIAR system and beyond. The Marketplace featured contributions from several CGIAR centers, including the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), International Potato Center (CIP), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), HarvestPlus (a joint program of IFPRI and CIAT), International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), and the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (Alliance Bioversity–CIAT).

In addition to CGIAR offerings, the Marketplace also featured locally driven innovations developed by national research institutions, private sector actors, and entrepreneurial start-ups—underscoring the importance of country-led innovation ecosystems in achieving climate resilience and food systems transformation.

These diverse solutions addressed a broad range of challenges related to climate adaptation, nutrition, gender inclusion, digital transformation, and sustainable intensification. Rather than emphasizing institutional silos, the event celebrated integrated, collaborative approaches that are ready for uptake across diverse country contexts.

Key innovations presented included:

• Climate Risk Management and Digital Advisory Tools
  • Virtual Field Trips (VFTs) – Digitally immerse stakeholders in agricultural systems across fragile and remote areas, enabling participatory learning and amplifying farmer voices.
  • AWARE Platform – A decision-support system linking early warning to early action for floods and droughts through predictive analytics
  • CSA Decision Support System (DST) – Including EDACaP and the NextGen Agro-Advisory Platform, this suite of tools delivers hyperlocal, actionable climate and input-use advisories.
  • Digital bundling platforms for agri-entrepreneurs – Scalable digital service hubs linking farmers to markets, finance, and inputs.
  • Policy innovation platforms for CSA – Platforms to strengthen institutional coordination and evidence-based policymaking.
• Climate-Resilient Crop and Seed Innovations
  • Biofortified sweet potato-legume systems – Improve yields and nutrition by integrating vitamin A-rich crops into farming systems.
  • Heat-tolerant potato varieties – Enhance productivity in warmer agroecologies.
  • Improved seed systems – Support widespread access to high-performing varieties for resilient farming.
• Inclusive Water, Soil, and Land Management Solutions
  • Index-Based Flood Insurance – Tested in Zambia, this parametric product provides smallholders with rapid payouts based on rainfall or flooding triggers.
  • Gender Action Learning System (GALS) – Applied in water and soil management interventions to shift gender norms, strengthen household decision-making, and build social resilience.
• Sustainable Livestock and Feed Innovations
  • SmartPack community-based breeding programs – Bundled feed and genetics packages for climate-smart livestock systems.
  • Scalable forage business models – For integration into public livestock programs, including the Ethiopia Livestock and Fishery Development Program.
  • High-quality forage innovations for drylands – Developed through public-private partnerships to meet pastoralist needs.
• Nutrition-Sensitive Programs and Food Systems
  • School feeding programs using vitamin A-rich crops – Designed to boost nutrition outcomes among school-age children.
• Insect-Based Protein Solutions
  • Insect-based food and feed innovations – Offer sustainable, high-protein alternatives and contribute to a circular bioeconomy.
• Youth Empowerment and Enterprise Development
• • Business Acceleration for Youth (BA4Y) Project – A mechanism supporting youth-led and youth-focused agribusinesses to scale operations and enhance economic resilience.

Each of these innovations was selected based on its scaling readiness, relevance to country needs, and potential for cross-sectoral integration. Their presentation at the Climate-Resilience Innovation Marketplace not only catalyzed interest among national governments and development partners but also reinforced the value of bundling technical, institutional, and policy innovations to drive impact at scale.

Strong expressions of interest emerged from several national governments and international financial institutions during the event. Delegates from Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Malawi in particular articulated clear demand for selected innovations. Uganda’s Ministry of Agriculture requested further collaboration around IWMI’s Virtual Field Trips and their potential integration into national digital extension systems. Malawi’s team working on the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) reform expressed intent to integrate inclusive irrigation technologies and soil health management bundles into its evolving subsidy model. Meanwhile, the International Finance Cooperation (IFC) and World Bank emphasized the importance of moving toward investment-ready innovation packaging—an area where CGIAR, through S4I -is already active.

This high-level convening also reinforced alignment with key policy frameworks, notably the 2025 Kampala Declaration and CAADP. Many of the innovations presented—particularly those that target repurposing subsidies, support evidence-based decision-making, integrate gender responsiveness, and demonstrate scalability—map directly onto CAADP principles. The S4I program continues to facilitate the enabling policy environments needed for such innovations to gain traction at national level.

Three strategic reflections emerged from the event:

1. National governments are actively seeking innovation portfolios that align with their public investment frameworks and sectoral priorities, rather than ad hoc, fragmented innovations and interventions.

2. The bundling of cross-CGIAR innovations into coherent thematic offerings—as opposed to individual project showcases—proved crucial for attracting attention from international finance institutions and senior government officials.

3. The S4I architecture enabled CGIAR to speak with one voice, convene country-specific dialogues, and move toward structured engagements that link innovations to investment opportunities.

Looking forward, CGIAR will deepen the bilateral engagements initiated in Lilongwe with Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. These partnerships will focus on co-developing action plans under the respective Food Systems Resilience Programs of each country. As a system, CGIAR will continue using the S4I platform to harmonize innovation scaling, embed science into policymaking, and collaborate more strategically with international finance institutions.

From innovation to impact at scale, the Lilongwe dialogue made clear that the future of food systems transformation hinges on multi-actor collaboration, evidence-based scaling strategies, and country-led investment pathways. CGIAR’s Scaling for Impact Program, in partnership with national governments, development partners, and research centers, remains committed to advancing these goals.

[1] Scaling Readiness is an evidence-based approach to monitor and support innovation scaling for impact.