Page 85 - AFAP Success Stories 2020

Malawi – AFAP supported Hub

Agrodealers to realize the

potential of Organized Farmer

Groups

Access to agricultural inputs for smallholder farmers has always
been a challenge in Malawi. Despite government support through
the farm-input subsidy program (FISP), not all smallholder farmers
have access to this program. Smallholder farmers from Jere Village
in TA Kampingo Sibande in Mzimba have not been immune to this
challenge. In an attempt to improve their access to finance, farmers
from the village formed the Jalawe Village Loans and Savings Group.
The group provided loan assistance to its members by buying shares
as capital, which would thereafter be shared as dividends and used
to purchase farm inputs. The group was formed in 2018 with an initial
membership of 30 (five men and 25 women).

In May 2019, Rose Harris identified the group through its extension and demand-
creation activities in the area. Rose Harris is trading as Tiwonge Investments in the
northern part of Malawi. After consultation with the members, an agreement was
reached on how the Hub Agrodealer could incorporate Jalawe into its existing inputs
distribution programme.

The Hub Agrodealer operates “Inputs pakhonde”, literally meaning “Inputs at your
doorstep”. The programme was developed by Tiwonge Investments, when it was
established that smallholder farmers travel considerable distances to access fertilizer
and other agricultural inputs, which adds significantly to their transportation costs.
Through this new arrangement, the Hub Agrodealer delivers inputs to a village’s central
point, and registered farmers can buy these during the agricultural season.
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