The Foundation for a Smoke-Free World’s Agricultural Transformation Initiative (ATI) is seeking qualified organizations to submit Expressions of Interest to operate and manage a new Center for Agricultural Transformation in Malawi. The Center will embrace open innovation and collaboration in agricultural science and technology to achieve transformational impacts for Malawian smallholder tobacco farmers.

“We are thrilled to be launching this project and anticipate that the Center for Agricultural Transformation will have a tremendous impact in Malawi, where the economy is highly dependent on tobacco,” said Jim Lutzweiler, VP of Agriculture and Livelihoods, Foundation for a Smoke-Free World. “The Center will accelerate value-chain growth and inclusiveness, as well as develop supporting technologies, infrastructure, and farming models. The role of innovation will be critical to the success of the Center, and we encourage the organizations submitting Expressions of Interest to present creative and original ideas that will drive tangible impact,” he added.

The Center for Agricultural Transformation is part of ATI’s overall mission to support efforts to diversify tobacco economies and lessen the reliance of smallholder farmers on the tobacco sector.

Scope of Work
The ATI will award qualified organizations with $10 million during a five-year contract to operate the Center for Agricultural Transformation. The intended impacts of the Center are to:

• Serve as an international incubator and accelerator of positive change
• Oversee a regional network of science and technology laboratories, and entrepreneurship incubator-accelerators designed to help smallholder tobacco farmers transition to alternative livelihoods
• Consistently improve agriculture yields and gross domestic product each year
• Increase the domestic and international volume and value of processed output from agricultural raw materials
• Contribute to the transformation of the agricultural sector and development of a knowledge economy in one of the world’s least developed countries

The organization selected to operate the Center will manage a pipeline of activities and operations, including science, technology, innovation, business incubation and commercialization, and facility management.

As part of the ATI’s focus on open innovation, the organization will be selected through an open process and collaboration. The process is detailed on the Foundation’s website. Expressions of Interest are due by August 14^th, 2018.

About the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World
The Foundation for a Smoke-Free World is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating global efforts to reduce deaths and harm from smoking, with the ultimate goal of eliminating smoking worldwide. The Foundation also supports efforts to rapidly transition smallholder tobacco farmers in the developing world towards alternative livelihoods and better economies.

For more information about the Foundation, please visit www.smokefreeworld.org.