Florence Kamwana is an Agriculture Research Scientist with wide-range experience, having worked for over 10 years within Malawi’s national agricultural research system. Florence is in the final stages of her PhD in Crop Science (Agronomy) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, in partnership with CIMMYT, where she focuses on the sustainable intensification of mixed farming systems. Her expertise includes advanced systems modelling using FarmDesign and APSIM to support data-driven agricultural planning, innovation, and policy formulation.
Florence is an AWARD Fellow in Gender and Climate Change and a recipient of the Women Scientist Fellowship for Sustainable Food Systems in the United States. She has strengthened her scientific and leadership capacity through international programs at Texas A&M University and Wageningen University Research.
Throughout her career, she has led impactful agronomic innovations establishing and managing extensive maize–legume field trials, conducting on-station and on-farm experiments, and contributing to the release of eight commercial soybean varieties in Malawi (2017–2022). She has developed extension materials, advanced conservation agriculture initiatives, and collaborated with leading CGIAR centers including CIMMYT, CIAT, IITA, and ICRISAT.
Florence is also deeply engaged in agricultural policy development. She has authored policy briefs and is recognized as a key national expert in the development of Malawi’s Climate-Smart Legume Manure framework, which promotes sustainable soil fertility management for smallholder farmers. Her ability to translate scientific evidence into actionable policy strengthens national and regional agricultural transformation efforts.
Driven by a strong passion to see farmers across the globe achieve food security despite the challenges of climate change and declining soil fertility, Florence is committed to advancing resilient, inclusive, and sustainable food systems. She combines strong analytical skills, extensive field experience, and proven multi-stakeholder leadership.
