About Dr BANDA Liveness

SUMMARY Liveness is an Associate Professor in Animal Physiology at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) where she has been working since 2002. She currently serves as the Programmes Coordinator for the university. In her position, she coordinates various university programmes and activities including developing project proposals; organizing research and outreach; results dissemination and developing project management systems and monitoring their implementation and performance. As an associate professor she is also involved in teaching, research, outreach and consultancy in agriculture and related rural development programs. Liveness has previously served as a head of Animal Science Department at LUANAR in addition to serving in various other leadership and teaching positions and committees at the University and elsewhere. She currently serves as a reviewer for institutions and some journals and is a board member for some organisations. Her research interests are in food systems with focus on livestock and crops in relation to farming systems for efficient and sustainable production systems and socio-economic development. So far, her research focus has been on improvement of livestock reproduction, production systems, animal and human welfare in relation to managing climate change and improving livelihoods. Her goal is to innovatively contribute to integration of modern technology and agricultural resource management concepts in existing systems for improved agricultural productivity, profitability, human wellbeing and environmental management using systems approaches.
QUALIFICATIONS 2014: PhD in Animal Genomics and Disease Resistance from University of Edinburgh 2001: Master of Science Degree in Animal Science from Bunda College of Agriculture (University of Malawi) 1997: Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture (with credit) from Bunda College of Agriculture (University of Malawi) 1995: Diploma in Agriculture (with credit) from Bunda College of Agriculture. (University of Malawi)
CURRENT PROJECTS September 2021 to date: Local Team Leader for Rethinking health - Innov8Health (One Health) Project funded by Baden-Württemberg-Stipendium (Germany) January 2021 to date: Program Coordinator in the program, “Sustainable food systems in Malawi (FoodMa)” funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Malawi. November 2020 to date: Program Coordinator in the program, “Sustainable food systems for rural resilience and transformation (Transform)” funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Malawi. April 2021 to date: Local Principal Investigator in the project ‘Enhancing smallholder dairy feeding systems to improve productivity and mitigate climate change impacts in Malawi,’ The project is done in collaboration with University of Bristol, University of Western Australia, University of Ghana and University of Nairobi and is funded by the British Council. February 2021 to date: Team member for project ‘Youth experiential farming’ funded by Centre for Agricultural Transformation in Malawi.
MOST RECENT PUBLICATIONS Bhatti, M.A.; Godfrey, S.S.; Ip, R.H.L.; Kachiwala, C.; Hovdhaugen, H.; Banda, L.J.; Limuwa, M.; Wynn, P.C.; Ådnøy, T.; Eik, L.O. Diversity of Sources of Income for Smallholder Farming Communities in Malawi: Importance for Improved Livelihood. Sustainability 2021, 13, 9599. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179599 Banda L.J. and Tanganyika J. 2021. Livestock provide more than food in smallholder production systems of developing countries. Animal Frontiers11(2):7-14. doi: 10.1093/af/vfab001. Banda, L.J., Chiumia, D., Gondwe, T.N., and Gondwe S.R. 2021. Smallholder dairy farming contributes to household resilience, food, and nutrition security besides income in rural households. Animal Frontiers, Volume 11 (2): 41–46, https://doi.org/10.1093/af/vfab009 Chiumia, D., Gondwe,T.N., Banda, L.J., Sivaselvam S. N., Ulbrich, S.E. & Chagunda, M,G.G. 2020. Enhancing knowledge exchange and performance recording through use of short messaging service in smallholder dairy farming systems in Malawi, Cogent Food & Agriculture, 6:1, 1801214, https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2020.1801214 Chisembe, P., Banda L. J, and Tanganyika, J. 2020. Effect of duck-rice-Azolla integration on growth performance and carcass quality of native Malawian Muscovy ducks. Livestock Research for Rural Development. http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd32/7/pilir32110.htm Kaumbata, W., Banda L., Mészáros, G., Gondwe,T., Woodward-Greene, M.J., Rosen, B. D., Van Tassell, C. P., Sölkner, J. and Wurzinger, M. 2020. Tangible and Intangible benefits of local goats rearing in smallholder farms in Malawi. Small Ruminant Research, 106095

Research Interest for: Dr BANDA Liveness