How Improving Inland Fisheries Can Reduce Food Insecurity

By Gloria Nzeka

Dr. Emmanuel Kaunda, professor at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture & Natural Resources in Malawi, and Dr. Steven Cooke, professor in the department of Biology at Carleton University in Canada discuss their research in inland fisheries.

They recently visited Michigan State University as part of the Robin Welcomme Fellowship Program, an initiative that recognizes scientists who have been working to promote responsible Inland Fisheries.

Listen to the interview here.

Getting graduates agricultural experience in Malawi: an Interview with Sera Gondwe

Sera Gondwe is a faculty member at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources. In November of 2016, Sera and her team launched a 6 months experiential learning program with graduates from LUANAR’s Agribusiness Management bachelors program. In this interview, Sera tells us more about the pilot.

Listen here.

Communicating research: Malawi journalist interviews one from the U.S.

By Max Johnston

Stanley Kadzuwa, a reporter with the Malawi Institute of Journalism (MIJ) FM Radio, recently interviewed David Poulson, senior associate director of the Knight Center and professor of journalism at Michigan State University.

Kadzuwa participated in a workshop put on by Poulson and Amol Pavangadkar, director of Sandbox Studios and a senior specialist with the Media Information Department at MSU’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences.

Listen to the interview here.

Poulson discussed communicating research through journalism, the differences between Malawi and Michigan, and some stories from the training tour.

MIJ FM Radio has operated for over 15 years and airs programs throughout Malawi’s three regions.

This broadcast is from part of The Knight Center for Environmental Journalism’s two-continent, three-country training tour. We’re sharing stories that we’ve received through our global partnerships.

For more information on The Knight Center’s tour and partnerships, read more here.

Global Partnership Series: More productive goats

Rhoda Msiska

As part of The Knight Center for Environmental Journalism’s two-continent, three-country training tour, we’re sharing stories that we’ve received through our global partnerships.

This story on increasing the population of goats in Malawi was produced by Rhoda Msiska from the Voice of Livingstonia.

Listen here.

Researchers in Malawi are trying to make healthier goats. Innovations in goat productivity could potentially boost goat populations from 8 million to 50 million in Malawi alone.

Voice of Livingstonia is a radio station operated in the Northern Region of Malawi, and reaches over 4 million listeners.

For more information on The Knight Center’s tour and partnerships, check out our WordPress: https://msufoodfix.wordpress.com/2017/08/20/bridging-food-scientists-and-journalists-with-communications-training/#more-1596

Bridging food scientists and journalists with communications training in the public interest

Malawi researcher Phillip Kamwendo, with hat, explains crop experiments to African journalists . Image: David Poulson

By David Poulson

Phillip Kamwendo finished explaining to a group of African reporters how he used “friendly bacteria” to improve groundnut seeds.

Then the Malawi researcher turned to a nearby team led by Michigan State University experts, flashed them a wide grin and gave them two thumbs up. It was a highlight for our team that had worked for days with Kamwendo and others at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) to refine how to explain their research.

“When he asked the reporters how many of them understood what an innoculant was, I felt like a proud grandmother,” said Emmanuella Delva, a program officer with USAID, the project’s funder,  and who pitched in on the training.

Amol Pavangadkar, director of MSU’s Sandbox Studios, explains video production techniques to Malawian journalists. Image: David Poulson

The work in Malawi was the start of a two-continent, three-country training tour that I’m still on.  I just finished work with other scientists – including two MSU alums – at the Rwanda offices of the International Potato Center to help them explain their research story to funders and others.

Now I’m in Lima, Peru, about to do the same thing this week at that center’s South American headquarters.

The work in Malawi was by far the most complex.