Malawi: Luanar and Stempower Launch Agri-Tech Programme for Secondary School Students
The Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) and STEMpower, a pan-African organisation focused on science and technology education, have launched a six-month training programme aimed at equipping young people with skills in agricultural innovation and technology.
The initiative will benefit 24 students from Mitundu Secondary School and Chiseka Community Day Secondary School (CDSS).
LUANAR’s Open, Distance and e-Learning (ODeL) coordinator, Precious Gawanani, said the programme would provide practical training in electronics, programming and technology-driven innovation.
He said participants would learn how electronics and programming can be applied to agriculture through projects such as smart irrigation systems, greenhouse management, poultry house monitoring and field surveillance.
According to Gawanani, the partnership is intended to provide students with both the technical tools and confidence needed to address challenges within their communities.
STEMpower chief executive Edwin Kumfa described the collaboration as an opportunity to introduce young people to the links between food security and agricultural technology.
“Exposing young people to the intersection of agriculture and technology will help develop a problem-solving mindset and encourage innovation,” he said.
Kumfa said the programme aligns with the organisation’s broader objective of empowering young people to become future changemakers.
The 12-session course will begin with training on Arduino boards, electronic components and circuit design before progressing to programming, sensors, motors and other electronic systems.
By Nyasa Times.
