USADF Projects

This is a newly formed rice marketing co-operative society. The co-operative sole purpose is to market rice coming from Muona, Nkhate, Mbwazi, Nkombezdi and Masenjere rice producer co-operative societies. Member co-operatives (Muona, Nkhate, Mbwazi, Nkombezdi and Masenjere) have in their possession several acres of land in the lower shire river valleys suitable for rice production. USADF through the grant is supporting the cooperative in its vision of processing, grading, packaging, branding and selling their rice within Malawi, SADC, East Africa and some international countries like Scotland and the UK.

Lupanda Producers and Marketing Cooperative (LPMC) was formed in 2010 and registered as a limited liability society in September 2012, as a farmer cooperative to support farmers in the Khosolo EPA, in Mzimba District in their farming activities. The cooperative has a total of 168 members, all of whom produce beans as their main cash crop but also produce other crops mainly for household consumption. The cooperative bulk purchases member's produce at a higher price than the local market to increase profits for members and hence improve their livelihood.

South Mzimba Farmers' Union (SOMU) was formed and started its operations in 2002 and incorporated as a limited liability company in December 2003, by five farmers' associations all affiliated to the National Association of Smallholder Farmers in Malawi (NASFAM) with the objective of promoting members' farming activities to ensure that they are sustainable and profitable.

Collectively, the five farmers' associations have a total of 13,406 members whose farming activities are concentrated in the following EPAs: Emfeni, Liwelezi, Kaluluma, Champhira, Mbawa, Manyamula, Mjinge, Vangalala, Bulala, Kazomba, Khosolo and Simulemba.

The farmers grow a variety of crops but the commodities central to its value adding activity for the grant with USADF is sunflower. SOMU established an oil pressing plant, to extract edible oil from the sunflower seed in December 2012, and also undertakes bulk buying of commodities from farmers in the catchment area.

This is a farmer organisation formally operating as a cooperative. Its core business is production and marketing of sunflower cooking oil. Besides cooking oil the cooperative also generates sunflower cake as a by-product which also helps in supplementing incomes for the organisation. Individual cooperative members are involved in production of sunflower which if offtaken by the cooperative as raw material. Having benefited from a USADF grant for capacity building which was completed in 2916, the cooperative is currently being assisted to expand its enterprise in order to accomplish its vision of producing high quality and certified sunflower cooking oil. The goal is to increase their market base by reaching out to a range of market segments on domestic as well as international market.

This is a farmers' association registered in 2011. The organisation is situated in a rift valley region of Malawi where rainfall is very erratic. The association has large membership which has migrated from traditional tobacco production to soya as an alternative means of livelihood. These hold less than two hectares of land and consequently produce in low quantity which has ultimately resulted in marketing challenges including limited marketable surplus, dependency on local intermediaries and lack of access to organised markets among others. Through collective marketing model, USADF through its grant is assisting the association to achieve its vision of improving the members' livelihood through capacity building and increased soya production.

This is a farmer's organisation with rice as its main enterprise cultivating on an area of over 90Ha of land. The cooperative acts as an offtaker of rice produced by its members. The rice is milled and sold largely at wholesale. The cooperative is working towards adding value to its product through grading, packaging, branding and certification. Through USADF grant, Mkondezi is being supported to build its capacity and develop it’s the business to level where they will be able to offer competitive product on both domestic and international market.

Hara Producers and Marketing Cooperative Society Limited (also known as Hara) is a registered cooperative 189 smallholder rice farmers (of which 76 are women) participating in the Hara rice scheme in Karonga District, Malawi. The cooperative buy rice from their members and other farmers as per demand. The cooperative adds value to its product through grading, packaging, branding and certification. Hara currently manage approximately 300 plus hectares of rice. Hara comply with all business and agricultural regulations and requirements including, but not limited to, Malawi Bureau of Standard (MBS). Through USADF grant, HARA is being supported to build its capacity and develop it's the business to level where they will be able to offer competitive product on both domestic and international market.

Kanthnkhako Cooperative Society Limited is a registered cooperative of 155 women and 65 men farmers in Thembani Village, Mpherembe Traditional Authority, Mzimba District, Malawi. The cooperative has been in business for 9 years, but with the USADF funding the cooperative produces high quality soybean. The cooperative is staffed with veteran manager, and experienced board members, GACI supervisors, and field workers. Through USADF grant, the cooperative is experiencing an increase in the value of soyabeans by Kanthunkhako member farmers, an increase in volume supplied buy member farmers, an increase in membership and an increase in Cooperative's annual net income.

Tikondane was established in 2012 by 18 women in Lilongwe, Malingunde. The goal of the group is to improve the livelihood of the members and their families economically through savings and lending to bot h members and non-members in the community. Tikondane has achieved 100% loan recovery from both members and non-member clients. Tikondane has just secured a USADF energy grant. Through the grant Tikondane will design a new renewable energy loan product for solar home system and cook stoves targeting clients in its community. Tikondane will use USADF energy grant as a revolving working capital to produce 200 solar home systems and 15, 000 cook stoves on wholesale arrangement and make available to customers on credit basis.

Green Impact Technologies (GI-Tech) was established in November, 2015. The enterprise is developing innovative clean-energy deployment mechanisms of technologies in Malawi. It seeks to promote clean energy access by conducting awareness and advocacy in energy access, practical training to youths on energy technologies, promotion of energy efficiency/conservation initiatives, distribution of Energy Technologies through proven business models, and development of mini grids in Malawi. Green Impact Technologies has just been awarded USADF energy and proposes to acquire and distribute solar home systems through an agent-based, pay-as-you-go business model to eradicate energy poverty in these communities (Lilongwe, Kasungu and Dedza) and beyond. The systems will offer quality lighting, phone charging and provision of television services. This will increase productive hours, allowing students to study and small businesses to operate after dark. Through this Award, Green Impact intends to directly benefit over 10,000 households and 50,000 individuals, with a focus on increasing working capital, which is the main limiting factor for solar home product sales.