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Aims: The environment is increasingly recognized as an important reservoir of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), which can be identified using molecular platforms. Yet, environmental surveillance remains an underutilised tool as there is no agreement on the best strategy for sample processing. We aim to develop a low‐cost extraction method independent to commercial kits or reagents. Methods and Results: We present a novel, magnetic bead‐based method for the isolation of ARGs from river water named MagnaExtract. We present this with analytic limit of detection as well as a case study in Southern Malawi. Here we compare the DNA yield from MagnaExtract with commercially available QIAGEN kits and the crude boil and spin method, using a high‐resolution melt analysis PCR panel designed for the detection of third‐generation cephalosporin and carbapenem‐resistant genes from 98 water samples. Conclusion: The MagnaExtract method is comparable, and in some instance's superior to commercially available kits for the isolation of ARGs from river water samples. Significance and Impact of the Study: The MagnaExtract approach offers a simple, affordable, high yielding extraction method that could be used for the detection of ARGs from river water samples in surveillance campaigns in East Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]