The invention, which he calls a Garden Thresher, is a portable machine, which can be used both mechanically and electronically to shell groundnuts faster than manually.

Currently, the machine shells, sieves and grades the groundnuts there by easing the work of grading for farmers.

With this creation, Walani was selected as the only student who represented Polytechnic at the Agriculture summit called Agtech Challenge, which was organized by Center for Agriculture Transformation (CAT) at the Bingu International Conference Centre on November 14, 2019.

With the Garden Thresher he was voted the best overall presenter and also came third in all the innovations presented where he came out with an award and some cash.

“They called for all innovative minds to come up with ideas and projects which could help in easing any process in the farming and production of groundnuts and also help in dealing with the aflatoxins,” Walani said.

Aflatoxins are poisonous substances that are produced by certain molds, which grow in soil, decaying vegetation, hay, and grain.

He further added that aflatoxin is a big problem that Malawi is facing currently, groundnuts from Malawi was banned for export because of this.

Walani aspires to add biosensors so that threshing the groundnuts should not be the only goal but also it should help in identifying the ones that are affected.

By adding biosensors like QMC it would help even to select the affected groundnuts as it come out of the thresher.

The competition was sectored into three groups of primary, secondary school and University students.