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Malawi
National Food Systems Steering Committee
Malawi's food systems governance rests on a steering committee of principal secretaries, co-convened by the agriculture ministry and the national planning commission, supported by a technical working group with five sub-groups. Non-state actors are full members rather than occasional invitees.
Institutional set-up and structure
The food systems convener role sits formally with the President and is exercised by the Minister of Agriculture, with the National Planning Commission as co-convener. Co-convening was agreed deliberately, on the view that a single sector could not convene a multisectoral agenda. The Steering Committee brings principal secretaries from relevant ministries together with development partners, academia, research institutions and selected private sector bodies. Below it, the Food Systems Technical Working Group and its five sub-groups carry the technical work. Terms of reference were developed and endorsed.
Mandate and decision-making power
The Steering Committee provides strategic and policy direction for food systems, takes decisions on food systems matters, acts as a space for accountability by checking what sectors are doing individually and jointly, and identifies gaps and draws commitments to cover them. The technical working group and sub-groups lead technical discussions, develop annual work plans, and escalate matters requiring direction to the Steering Committee.
The Committee is tasked with the following roles (building blocks):
Agenda setting: advocacy and dialogue; deciding on goals and strategic priorities
Policy formulation and decision making: providing technical advice; coordinating policy development; developing policies for consideration by the relevant authorities; deciding and enacting them
Implementation: coordinating policy and programme delivery; coordinating financial resources and the budget
Monitoring and evaluation: tracking progress, evaluating and reporting
Who is involved
Government: principal secretaries from agriculture (chair), health, transport, gender, trade and other relevant ministries, with the National Planning Commission as co-convener
Development partners: United Nations agencies and bilateral agencies, represented at mission head or deputy level
Academia and research institutions
Civil society: described as the link between the committees and the public
Private sector: selected institutions, including banks
Government leads or co-leads every sub-group, a requirement adopted so the structures can be sustained if partners withdraw.
How it works in practice
The Steering Committee meets quarterly, with additional meetings where a decision is required
The technical working group meets every two months over one and a half to two days, with sub-groups meeting first and then reconvening together
Agendas are drafted by the two conveners and circulated in advance for members' input
Meeting costs are shared between government and development partners
Minutes and progress updates are circulated promptly, and reporting flows upward from the sub-groups
Opportunities for improvement
Improving how meetings are run and agendas set would better accommodate the differing interests of members
Strengthening smallholder farmer representation, and engaging private sector members so they stay involved, would close gaps in participation
Completing the monitoring and evaluation framework and developing national food systems indicators would support tracking progress
Evidence base: key informant interviews and policy documents, 2026. Last updated: September 2026.
Strengths
Meetings happen consistently on schedule, giving the structures a reliable rhythm
Co-convening by the agriculture ministry and the planning commission prevents a single sector from holding the agenda
Policy coherence is already visible, with discussions feeding the agriculture investment plan and nutrition work in health
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