By Steve Chirombo:
In the fertile but challenging farming landscapes of Dedza District, many smallholder farmers have worked tirelessly for years with limited rewards. Unpredictable weather, poor market access and weak household planning often prevented them from benefiting fully from their efforts. Now, change is taking place across communities under Traditional Authority (TA) Kasumbu in Kanyama Extension Planning Area (EPA), thanks to the Transforming Agriculture through Diversification and Entrepreneurship (Trade) Programme.
The programme, implemented by the Government of Malawi with support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (Ifad), runs for six years and focuses on three pillars of market linkages, climate information services and gender empowerment through household planning.
Across Dedza, these pillars are helping farmers move from subsistence farming to more resilient and profitable enterprises.
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Farmers in Group Village Head Chimphandu formed a cooperative called Kaphirisaya in 2015 and registered it in 2020, focusing on soya farming.
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They joined the Trade Programme in 2022, helping members to increase their gains.
“We used to sell our produce individually and often at throw-away prices because we did not know where better markets were,” Cecilia Phiri, a cooperative member, recalls.
She adds that middlemen often dictated prices, leaving farmers with little bargaining power and many sold immediately after harvest at low prices.
Kaphirisaya Cooperative now has 136 members, including 61 men, 75 women, 24 youths and eight persons with disabilities.
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Through Trade, they received training in cooperative management, financial management, bookkeeping and marketing.
They learned the value of collective marketing, allowing them to aggregate produce and negotiate better prices.
Between 2022 and 2023, the cooperative marketed about 8,000 bags of produce weighing 120 kilogrammes each, generating over K925 million.
In the 2024-25 farming season, sales reached K1 billion.
“Through the cooperative, we now sell our produce at better prices because buyers come directly to us,” Alice Yohane, another member, explains.
The benefits are visible in farmers’ homes and communities. Chikaoneka Namuti has bought cattle and an ox-cart and invested in fertiliser to expand his farmland.
Encouraged by progress, the cooperative plans to expand production and eventually venture into agro-processing.
Farmers have also had to tackle unpredictable weather. Without reliable weather information, they often lost harvests to drought, disease and irregular rainfall.
In the Makota cluster, this began to change in November 2025 when farmer organisations started using the Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture.
Farmers now receive forecasts via text and calls through the Mlimi Hotline, allowing them to plan farming activities based on climate information.
For Sikauti Binifasiyo, the difference has been dramatic. His potato harvest increased from 12 bags under rain-fed farming to 21 and from 21 under irrigation to 50.
His income rose from K1.8 million to K2.94 million from rain-fed production and from K2.04 million to K8.25 million from irrigated farming.
Other farmers in the cluster, including Lita Bwanali, have also seen substantial growth in income. Many households have invested in livestock, improved housing, electricity and children’s education.
Trade is also strengthening household planning and gender cooperation through the Gender Action Learning System (Gals).
For the Mitera family of Mgawanyumbu Village, this approach has been life-changing. Monica Mitera, her husband and four children struggled to translate income into meaningful household development.
“Before Gals, we shared farming proceeds without proper planning and often spent the money without investing,” she says.
Through Gals, the family developed a three-year household vision from 2023 to 2026, setting goals for home improvement, livestock, business and family welfare.
They introduced pig farming, opened a small retail shop, purchased a refrigerator for a frozen-food business, installed solar electricity, bought furniture and began constructing a brick fence.
They cultivate three acres growing maize, potatoes, groundnuts and soybeans. In 2023-24, they harvested 62 bags of maize and 46 bags of potatoes.
Gals has also strengthened communication and joint decision-making.
“We have learned how to plan and work together as a family,” Mitera says.
The family now plans another three-year vision from 2026 to 2029, aiming to purchase a vehicle to support farming and transport services.
According to Dedza District Council Director of Agriculture Services, Siliro Nkhukuzalira Magomero, programmes like Trade are helping smallholder farmers transform agriculture into a viable business.
“Farmers are gaining access to markets, climate information and household planning tools essential for improving productivity and income,” he says.
Trade Desk Officer and Agribusiness Management Officer Ernest Chatonda adds that integrating market access, climate services and household empowerment is key to sustainable rural development.
