In the 2024/25 financial year, the Ministry of Agriculture, through the National Agriculture Management Information System (NAMIS), developed a Digital Farmer Register to provide accurate, up-to-date data on farming households in Malawi for better planning and policy-making. To ensure its continued relevance, the register requires annual updates, leading the Ministry to establish a task force to oversee the process. A gap analysis conducted by the NAMIS Coordinating Unit and district teams revealed data inconsistencies and missing information, prompting the development of a digital tool by the NAMIS Customization Team to update records, verify farmer details, and register new households

A workshop was held in Mangochi from 27th May to 6th June 2025, during which the CRAFS development team collaborated on the development of a digital data collection tool. The participants involved in this effort included Lawrence Byson, Florence Mwalwanda, Yambanso Kausiwa, Bernard Masache, and Agatha Chituwa. They were joined by members of the ICT team from the Ministry of Agriculture, who also contributed significantly to the initiative.

The main objective of the workshop was to develop a user-friendly, mobile-compatible data collection tool using the DHIS2 Tracker Capture platform. The tool was designed to serve several key functions: verifying and updating existing household information in the Farmer Register, correcting errors and filling in missing variables in the database, registering new farming households not yet captured, and ensuring the tool's ease of use for Agricultural Extension Development Officers (AEDOs).

To achieve these goals, several technical steps were undertaken. First, full backups of existing data were created to prevent potential data loss. The program’s structure was then redesigned to incorporate recent changes in local administrative boundaries, effectively merging both the Ministry of Agriculture and Local Government organizational hierarchies.

In addition, data variables and questionnaires were reorganized to align with updated Ministry-approved tools. These were enhanced with standardized categories and clearer response options. The organizational unit setup was updated to reflect the dual structures of the Ministry of Agriculture and Local Government, enabling accurate reporting at all administrative levels.

The team also developed and tested a custom version of the DHIS2 Tracker Capture application. This version supports farmer verification through National ID scanning, allows updates and new registrations, and is capable of functioning offline making it ideal for fieldwork in remote areas. A visual dashboard is also being developed to monitor key indicators such as registration progress, data quality, and coverage in real-time.

Overall, the team made substantial progress in enhancing the Digital Farmer Register. Through comprehensive analysis, program restructuring, and the creation of a field-ready application, the workshop successfully laid the foundation for more accurate and efficient agricultural data collection in Malawi.