AFAP’s Vegetable Resilience Project, which is part of the Sustain Africa initiative, is offering high-quality vegetable seeds with a generous 20% rebate, with a goal of reaching 100,000 smallholder farmers in the Northern region of Malawi.

Collaboration between program officers and government officials led to the identification, mobilization, and recruitment of Community Agribusiness Advisors (CAAs) across the country. These CAAs are instrumental in promoting vegetable winter farming by facilitating the purchase of seeds on credit, empowering them with invaluable agribusiness and agro-dealership skills.

The impact of this initiative is tangible, with nearly 80,000 farmers so far benefiting from access to top-notch vegetable seeds. Notably, farmers from the Mphompha area in Rumphi, Northern Malawi are employing ingenious locally designed gravity-fed sprinkler irrigation systems for vegetable winter farming. This innovation underscores their unwavering commitment to sustainable agricultural practices.

Hopkins Mwanza, the Northern Region Coordinator for AFAP, highlighted the pivotal role of smallholder farmers in ensuring food security and economic stability in developing countries. He emphasized the challenges they often face, including low productivity, limited access to quality inputs, and insufficient knowledge of modern agricultural practices.

The Vegetable Resilience Project directly addresses these issues by providing high-quality seeds, offering price discounts, and building the capacity of both farmers and CAAs. This holistic approach is a significant step towards achieving household food and nutrition security.