Malawian Aggies Charge into Feb

by

Georgie Scott | Jan 28, 2018 | in Agriculture Assessment

 The January Agriculture Assessment Team here in Malawi continued to develop a three-pronged solution to various pains faced by smallholder farmers. Firstly, the farming blueprint would seek to address issues of yield size, consistency of produce throughout the year and nutritional variety of crops. This would be complemented with a consultancy service for ongoing tailored support of the farmers. Finally, a distribution service would seek to alleviate issues of access to markets and provide a means of payment for the blueprint itself.

With this in mind, the following goals have been set for the month ahead:

1. Map out 20 supply chains

The January team has made an impressive start in this regard, chasing the original source of produce that can be found in various commercial entities (i.e. supermarkets, hotels). The hope is that by following various supply chains the team would be better able to evaluate the feasibility of injecting ourselves into this supply chain and gage the impact this distribution service could have on the wider community. 

2. Conduct 1 test run of distribution service

We will also trial the distribution service by purchasing produce directly from a farmer(s) and then supplying this produce to a local business at a mark-up. The aim here is to further our understanding of the pains of both parties, as well as any areas which may require further research.

3. MOU with Bvumbwe Research Station

Bvumbwe Research Station is a government run agricultural research facility that identifies problems faced by farmers and then runs experiments with the aim of alleviating these pains. As part of this work, the station has accumulated a large amount of data relating to the agricultural sector in Blantyre. An MOU with this entity would ideally provide us with access to this data and protect our blueprint IP. This data can then be utilised to revamp the current blueprint, or should the project take another direction, provide extensive foundational knowledge for a new business model.

4. Develop 1 alternative solution 

The experimental farm had limited germination in January. The reason for this is not certain, however, there is a strong belief among the leaders and farm workers that this could be due to the two-week dry spell that occurred after the seeds were sown.  As it is now too late in the season to replant (and expect decent germination) we are unable to attempt to rework the blueprint. Thus, we will seek to explore an alternative solution to issues faced by the farmers of Malawi. Personally, I am interested in exploring ways to alleviate issues of lack of access to water – whether this be with an irrigation system or water storage system, as the potential for social impact here is huge.

5. Maintain the farm

Nevertheless, we will seek to maintain the farm with weekly visits. Despite the low rates of germination, there is still potential to learn from this experiment. Particularly in relation to issues of pest management and human interference.

Stay tuned for what will undoubtedly be an exciting month!