The Malawi Prisons Service (MPS) says it is basing its agriculture program to align with Malawi Vision 2063 by pushing prisoners from subsistence plots toward commercial farming.
The Prisons Publicist, Steven Meke has told the media that they have aligned themselves with a guide to Pillar 1 which covers agricultural productivity and commercialisation.
“Malawi Prison Service is now aligning itself with the Malawi 2063 vision to improve its service delivery for instance in the agricultural sector pillar number 1 is being pursued and this is about agricultural productivity and commercialisation,” he said.
He also pointed out that with mechanisation, smart farming technology, and new hires in irrigation engineering, agribusiness, and general agriculture will lead to the shift.
To ease overcrowding and reduce demand on farm output, MPS is expanding alternative sentencing like parole and community service, measures it says will help decongest prisons.
MPS revealed that past shortages came from hoe‑and‑hand labour, erratic weather and supervisors without agronomic training.
The service noted that by adding machines, deploying trained staff and trimming inmate numbers with non‑custodial sentences, it expects steadier yields and eventually commercial‑scale harvests.
