The Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) and the Development Fund of Norway, with its local partner in Malawi, the Centre for Environmental Policy and Advocacy (CEPA), have developed this capacity building material for small-scale farmers, farmers’ organizations, decision makers and relevant stakeholders. These three institutions are aware of the need and importance of recognizing and implementing the rights of farmers over plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and associated traditional knowledge.  

This translation of the capacity building material into the Malawian language of Chichewa* is intended, mainly, for small-scale farmers, local leaders that live and depend directly on farming; farmers’ organizations, relevant stakeholders and decision makers, including the Ministry of Agriculture; the Malawi Plant Genetic Resource Centre; agricultural research institutes; and the Seed Certification Unit of Malawi. The capacity building material on Farmers’ Rights is framed within the Capacity Building Programme on the Implementation of Farmers’ Rights implemented by GFAR; and the Community Based Agro Biodiversity Management Programme of the Development Fund of Norway undertaken in Malawi supporting small-scale farmers to achieve and sustain food security, including through their empowerment and increased local capacity. 

*Chichewa is the most widely known language of Malawi (almost 60% of the inhabitants), spoken mostly in the Central and Southern Regions of that country. This language is taught at schools and almost 11.3 million people understands Chichewa in Malawi, most of them are smallholder farmers.