admin | October 23, 2025
News Brief
At Chikombe beach on Lake Malawi, fish processor Issah Amin battles smoke and heat as he smokes fish using traditional kilns, a laborious, wasteful, and health-hazardous method common across the lakeshore. To address this, Malawi’s Ministry of Agriculture, with funding from the Science Granting Councils Initiative, launched a project in 2024 to introduce modern, fuel-efficient fish-smoking kilns. These clean systems reduce firewood use, improve hygiene, and boost productivity. The initiative aims to reach 500 processors, mainly women and youth, by 2026 to cut post-harvest losses and improve livelihoods.
Closing his eyes as smoke from fish-smoking kilns fills the air, Issah Amin pokes firewood into one of seven ovens at Chikombe beach, a fish-landing site on Lake Malawi.
Issah Amin, a local fish processor, says, “This is one of the hardest parts of this work. But if I don’t do it, I won’t take the fish to Lilongwe. It will be rotten, and my business and my livelihood will be dead.”
Across Lake Malawi and other fishing sites, this laborious and smoky curing method is the norm. It is back-breaking, hazardous to health, and wasteful — consuming high amounts of firewood and causing significant post-harvest losses.
A study assessing economic impacts finds 43% of fish lost at the beach, 54% during processing, and 69% during marketing. While losses may seem modest economically, the study warns of health risks and reduced nutritional value.
James Banda, principal investigator at Malawi’s Ministry of Agriculture, says researchers launch a project in 2024, funded by the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI), to reduce losses and improve processors’ livelihoods.
He explains that the team develops modern fish-smoking kilns — clean, enclosed systems that retain heat, consume less firewood, and are easy to operate. The kilns can process 100 kg of fish in just two hours and collect fish oil as an added by-product, increasing value for processors.
Mr. Banda adds, “We design the new kilns with better hygiene standards, reducing contamination risks and ensuring safer fish products. These advancements make the modern fish-smoking kiln a valuable upgrade for improving productivity, quality, and sustainability in fish processing in Malawi.”
The kilns also reduce labor. Processors can now load the fish and attend to other tasks, rather than tending fires constantly. Ellack Dyton, an extension worker on the project, trains fish processors on kiln construction, use, and fish handling. He says, “So far, the response is impressive. What endears the technology to processors is reduced firewood and less labor — now they can put fish in the kilns and do other activities.”
Mr. Dyton adds, “When innovations like this come up, some hesitate to adopt. But there is significant interest, and that encourages us.”
According to Malawi’s 2021 Annual Economic Report, fish contributes over 70% of dietary animal protein for Malawians and 40% of total protein supply. In 2020, more than 65,000 people work as fishers, with another half a million indirectly employed in processing, marketing, and boat building.
Mr. Banda notes that the improved kilns can support poverty reduction. He says, “Better fish processing helps value chain actors, especially women and youth, mitigate vulnerability, adapt to shocks, boost productivity, and improve livelihoods.”
The project aims to reach 500 direct beneficiaries in Mangochi, a key fishing district, and reduce post-harvest losses and improve kiln adoption by 15% by 2026.
Charles Mkoka, environmentalist and executive director of the Co-ordination Unit for Rehabilitation of the Environment (CURE), says the technology opens market opportunities. He says, “The process assures food safety standards for local and regional markets.”
He adds, “Such technologies reduce labor and health burdens and create income-generating opportunities, especially for female-led cooperatives and youth enterprises. What remains is to build capacity and support formation of women-led and youth-led cooperatives for knowledge sharing and economies of scale.”
Researchers now aim to expand the technology to other landing sites across Malawi. Mr. Banda says, “Our aim is to enhance quality and safety of smoked fish products while reducing losses across the lakeshore.”
The project targets women and youth groups, providing training in kiln construction, operation, and safe handling practices. Processors also learn how to store fish and maintain hygiene, ensuring safer products for local and regional markets.
This story is adapted from an article written by Charles Mpaka for SciDev.Net, titled “Eco-friendly kilns help Malawi’s fish curers cut losses” To read the full story, go to: https://www.scidev.net/global/supported-content/eco-friendly-kilns-help-malawis-fish-curers-cut-losses/