Programme Summary

In July 2014, Farm Concern International (FCI) rolled out a new program in Malawi, Enhancing Market Access for Irish Potato Farmers & Traders Project (EMAIP) with funding from IFAD (International Fund for Agriculture Development), in collaboration with the Government of Malawi’s Rural Livelihoods and Economic Enhancement Programme (RLEEP). 

The program targets 5,000 smallholder farmers in Dedza and Mchinji for three years, with an aim of enhancing linkages between potato farmers and traders in the Irish potato value chain through business partnerships for enhanced trade and incomes of the smallholder producers. 

Informal traders play a critical link along the potato value chain in Malawi; however, they are faced with numerous challenges that affect their business operations, hence making the potato value chain operate below optimal levels. This program will therefore target 100 key potato traders in the potato value chain from key markets across Malawi; 1,000 farming households in Mlonyeni EPA Mchinji District and 4,000 in Kanyama EPA Dedza.

The proposed EMAIP project aims at harnessing various domestic marketing systems with an emphasis on traditional marketing systems, which offer the largest trade platform for agricultural produce, including Irish potatoes in Malawi. In response to the gaps identified, FCI will work in partnership with Auction Holdings Commodity Exchange (AHCX) an organization which provides real time market information on agricultural value chains.