Saving Malawi’s Fish Stocks - Fish stocks in Malawi’s lakes are under enormous pressure, primarily from overfishing. To combat this, the USAID FISH project is empowering local Beach Village Committees to develop and run fish sanctuaries in coordination with Malawi’s Department of Fisheries. Twenty months after this effort began, a fish-stock survey demonstrates that the average number of species present increased from 8.2 to 13.5 (a jump of 65%) in surveyed regions, while the diversity index increased by 23% in all lakes (the diversity index is an indicator that combines abundance of species and frequency).

Fighting Cervical Cancer - Cervical cancer has become one of the largest killers of women in the developing world; 283,000 women die of the disease each year in low and middle income nations. Malawi has one of the highest cervical cancer rates in the world. To help address this, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, will dedicate $12 million to support the expansion of programs to prevent cervical cancer in the Republics of Malawi and Mozambique through integrated programs to improve women's health. Learn more about this important effort to save lives through research, testing, treatment, and follow-on care at https://is.gd/qbJJ0K.

The GOM Approves the First GMO Variety in Malawi's History and the Bio-Pesticide AflaSafe -  On Dec. 28th, the Agriculture Technical Clearing Committee (ATCC) in the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development approved the Bollgard II variety of biotech cotton and the bio-pesticide AflaSafe. Both technologies have been supported by USAID and have game-changing potential. GMO Cotton: USAID Washington's Biosafety project supported the necessary research and three-year trials to obtain approval in partnership with the Quton Seed Company, which purchased the variety rights from Monsanto. Quton will commercialize the seed variety. It should come onto the market next season. AflaSafe - After three years of trials, the ATCC also approved AflaSafe, which was developed by The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) with a grant from USAID/ Malawi through the MISST project. AflaSafe dramatically reduces the dangerous aflatoxin fungus that causes stunting and cancer. In Malawi, groundnuts and maize are most affected. USAID/Malawi’s Agricultural Diversification project will support commercialization. Agriculture Input Supplies Limited (AISL), which USAID helped to introduce inoculant in Malawi, is exploring it. AflaSafe could significantly increase the potential for Malawi to once again export groundnuts to Europe.

Balaka District Government Gets Better - With technical assistance from USAID’s Local Governance Accountability and Performance project, the Balaka District Commissioner confirmed the initiation of their new payroll processing system. The payroll officer will no longer have to travel to Zomba or Lilongwe to print vouchers and payroll reports. This marks a significant advance in the proper management of district operations, including more efficient payroll processing, improved human resources management, and real-time data to track and remove “ghost workers” from the payroll.