Malawi is betting on soybeans to replace feed and edible oil imports

Malawi is laying the foundation for a new agricultural future by positioning soybean as the country’s standard source of protein and edible oil through the Shire Valley Transformation Program (SVTP). SVTP is a 14-year initiative that integrates irrigation infrastructure with innovative agricultural practices to scale soybean cultivation and processing on an unprecedented level in the region. This focus on soybean scaling is facilitated by the Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL), based at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. Over the past 12 years, SIL has systematically developed the soybean value chain in Africa, delivering evidence-based guidance on breeding, agronomic methods, mechanization, processing, and marketing. The lab emphasizes the empowerment of local organizations, or “strong nodes,” to ensure long-term sustainability without ongoing external dependencies. In the Lower Shire Valley, the SVTP is ...