Solidaridad Showcases Malawi’s Transformation of Farm Supply Chains
Solidaridad's work in Malawi has been multifaceted. It began with the transformative Practice for Change (PfC) Soybean Project, which empowered over 8,500 smallholder farmers.
LILONGWE, Malawi— Malawi has taken centre stage in the global agricultural landscape as it recently hosted the International Supervisory Board (ISB) of Solidaridad, an international network organization, writes Winston Mwale.
This visit, from December 7-11, 2024, marked a significant milestone in Solidaridad's 50-year history and five years of operation in Malawi.
Chosen from over 40 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, Malawi is recognized as a “good example” of the organization's efforts in Southern Africa to transform supply chains into inclusive and resilient systems.
Solidaridad operates across continents to support small-scale farmers, workers, and miners while tackling the complexities of global supply chain challenges.
In regions across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, Solidaridad implements on-the-ground projects to foster sustainability, while in Europe, North America, China, and Japan, it focuses on building corporate and donor relationships to promote the uptake of sustainable products.
This dual approach highlights the organization's understanding of the complex dynamics within global supply chains.
The ISB visit reflects Malawi’s growing significance within this expansive network.
“This visit underscores Malawi’s role as a leader in sustainable agricultural practices,” said Shungu Kanyemba, Managing Director of Solidaridad Southern Africa.
“Through our impactful projects here, we have demonstrated that smallholder farmers are not just beneficiaries but key players in transforming global supply chains into equitable systems.”
Solidaridad's work in Malawi has been multifaceted. It began with the transformative Practice for Change (PfC) Soybean Project, which empowered over 8,500 smallholder farmers with improved farming techniques.
The organization continues its efforts with the RECLAIM Sustainability! (RS!) Tea Initiative, which examines sector policies and promotes equitable practices.
The Pathways to Prosperity (P2P) Cotton Project is also described as a “groundbreaking initiative” that integrates financial services, seed multiplication, and market access for farmers.
Key achievements of these initiatives include:
* Training over 2,400 farmers in Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) through the PfC Soybean Project, resulting in increased yields and enhanced farming techniques.
* Supporting the cotton sector in producing 160 tons of cotton seed, which has been distributed to 40,000 farmers, addressing a crucial need for quality planting material.
* Establishing 15 demonstration plots under the P2P Cotton Project to showcase sustainable cotton farming practices, providing hands-on training and practical examples for other farmers.
* Launching a digital payment system to reduce risks in the cotton sector, benefiting over 15,000 registered farmers and streamlining transactions.
* Giving over 80,000 tea seedlings to more than 10,000 tea farmers in Malawi, supporting the long-term sustainability of the tea sector.
* Supporting the development of occupational safety and health policies in the tea sector, and implementing policies that promote equitable gender practices, promoting a more just and inclusive agricultural system.
“Malawi has some strong examples of agricultural practice and work on sector transformation that are innovative, resilient and have a direct and positive impact on the lives of small-scale farmers,” said Andre de Freitas, Executive Director of the Solidaridad Network.
"Some of the projects here have the potential to be scaled globally. This visit allows the International Supervisory Board to witness firsthand the specific features of Solidaridad’s work in Southern Africa.”
The selection of Malawi as the host for this visit highlights the country's achievements within the Solidaridad Network in several crucial areas:
* Promoting good practices among farmers and workers through training, knowledge transfer, and empowering communities to take ownership of their agricultural practices.
* Establishing supportive business systems to enhance productivity and income, including access to financial services, insurance, and market information.
* Creating an enabling policy environment for sustainability through engagement with governments and promoting policies that support sustainable agricultural development.
* Encouraging increased market uptake of sustainable products by fostering connections between farmers and buyers, and promoting sustainable sourcing practices.
Solidaridad’s unique approach as a network organization, with regional hubs around the world, allows for a localized and adaptable approach to agricultural development.
De Freitas, during his visit to Malawi, highlighted the organization's focus on changing the lives of small-scale farmers, emphasizing the need to look at both economic prosperity and resilience, environmental stewardship, and social equity.
“Solidaridad is a non-profit organization, a civil society organization that has 50 years of existence. And we are focused on changing the lives of small-scale farmers. So around the world, you have roughly 500 million farmers in many countries of the world, and most of them are either poor or very poor," De Freitas stated.
He emphasized the importance of understanding the needs of farmers on the ground.
“And some 14 years ago, we decided, you know what? Thinking about the world from this Netherlands perspective is not ideal. So we moved to a regional approach where we have regions around the world, and the regions can then really think with their countries of what's best, what's needed for the farmers that we work with on the ground. What do they need? What makes the most sense for them in each place? So this network element is key for us.”
He also noted the project's innovative approaches to overcoming specific challenges, citing seed multiplication and working with digital information and financing mechanisms as areas of focus.
“The challenge is seed availability. Farmers do not have the seeds to plant cotton. And so our intervention then centred in working with the farmers that are our partners, working with the cotton sector, and then multiplying seed and providing those seeds to farmers,” he explained.
He noted, “Today, this morning (10 December 2024), we were with a community that was receiving the seed for planting this year. This is the first year of really planting the project.”
The goal is that with the provision of quality seeds, farmers can have better yields, sell their cotton, and have a better income.
The Chairperson of the International Supervisory Board (ISB) of Solidaridad echoed these sentiments, highlighting the need to support small-scale farmers, who form the backbone of most economies in the Global South.
"We started small and we're growing fast. Why are we growing fast? Because the need is there, the demand. Everybody looks at big companies. Everybody looks at medium-sized companies. But who is looking after the farmers?" she asked.
"I think what we need to concentrate on is small-scale farmers. And if you look at countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, you see that a critical mass of the population is in the agricultural sector."
She emphasized the importance of partnerships with governments, the private sector and the media to drive change and to create a living, playing field for small-scale farmers with decent work, economic growth and good wages.
“We as supervisory board members, as the highest HCN of governance, we wanted to see what's happening in the ground. Because sometimes when we sit in our own spaces, we don't see the ground reality," she said.
She was impressed by the empowerment of women farmers in Malawi who were, with their family making key decisions on how they will spend their earnings.
“The women farmers are so empowered in Malawi. It's amazing. And the voice that they have, we want to elevate that voice,” she explained.
“We want to bring that voice further. And we want to do the good for the country. And to do that, we have to work with also the private sector.”
She stressed the need to work with ginners in the cotton industry and government in making changes at the national level.
She also called upon the media, describing it as “an important voice, which the public listen to” in terms of sharing the farmers’ stories and their work.
Given Phiri, Solidaridad Malawi's Executive Officer, expressed gratitude for the ISB’s visit, highlighting the work to uplift smallholder farmers by addressing the challenges they face, including weather patterns and market access.
“So, in Solidaridad, our motto, by the way, is we believe in change that matters. So, for change that matter to happen, we believe several things will lift the lives of our farmers,” Phiri said.
“Number one is capacity building, the other one is seed, but also the marketing system.”
He described how Solidaridad is working to address the specific challenges faced by small-scale farmers.
“We realized that the seed is the heart of production. Without the proper seed, our farmers will not go anywhere. So, what we are bringing in is improved seeds, certified seeds that when they plant their yields are improving so that they have more money. So our existence in Malawi is looking at those areas, building capacity, so that we train farmers how to produce soy, we train farmers how to produce cotton, we train farmers how to produce tea.”
He further noted that Solidaridad has also partnered with local research institutions like the Makoka Research Station to produce certified cotton seed, making high-quality seed varieties available to farmers.
Shungu Kanyemba further noted the impact of climate change on farmers, highlighting their need for information regarding optimal planting times and sustainable farming methods.
“One of the key concerns that farmers have is the changes in the weather. It's no longer easy to predict when the planting season starts and when it doesn't,” Kanyemba stated.
“And, particularly last year was a bad one. And what crops we should be doing, given that the weather is in this nature."
He noted that Solidaridad is trying to offer solutions by tracking how crops performed at different planting times.
"And what we're seeing is that sometimes, and this is not a definitive answer, but we are seeing that sometimes people who are planting late are harvesting more than people who planted. And so there's, it's no longer quite clear what the planting date is because the weather is changing."
Solidaridad’s work in Malawi offers a clear path toward creating more sustainable and equitable agricultural supply chains.
By building strong partnerships, embracing innovation, empowering farmers with knowledge and resources, and focusing on long-term sustainable practices, the organization continues to bring about real and meaningful change in rural Malawi.