Farmers from Mitumbiri Commercial Village in the Southern Region of Malawi, produced approximately 9 MT during the June to September, 2011 winter season. This was as a result of understanding market requirements through Village Business Forums (VBF) with traders.

Business has always been a cut-throat affair where it is common for traders to withhold vital market information on sourcing and pricing just to stay ahead of the competition. Individualism is a dominant business culture among traders in Malawi, worsening according to the seasons and instability of perishable commodities. Only tight circles of friends share information and give each other preference when it comes to sourcing commodities in times of scarcity.

The Cassava Commercialization and Processing Programme supported by Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa and implemented by FCI has brought about a revolution in the cassava seed system in East Africa.  The demand for the improved cassava varieties within and beyond the Programme sites is creating an income opportunity for farmers who are establishing themselves as seed multipliers to their Commercial Villages. 

Mr. Josephat Okana, a 41 year-old, is a seed multiplier in Tangakona Commercial Village in Western Kenya. He is exploiting the unmet demand by farmers for clean planting materials. He grows the improved MH 95/0183 variety and harvests the stems to make cuttings that he sells as seed, thereby earning him a handsome profit.

Seeing a lucrative opportunity, Okana invested Ksh 12,000 (USD 143) in early 2010 and increased his acreage by leasing three acres of land. He injected a further Ksh 14,500 (USD 172) in production costs.  

Meeting family needs

After harvesting 100 bags per acre in September/October 2012, Okana sold each at Ksh 400 (USD 4.8) earning Ksh 120,000 (USD 1425). From his earnings, he built a new cowshed and comfortably paid school fees for his children. 

The father of seven children has humble beginnings, starting off with ¼ of an acre in 2009 from which he harvested 28 bags of cassava cuttings. He sold 20 at Ksh 400 each (USD 4.8) which earned him Ksh 8,000 (USD 95). But he still could not meet the demand for more cuttings from fellow farmers who were convinced about the high quality seeds from his farm. 

The improved variety takes between 9 to 12 months to mature, meaning that farmers can expect to harvest three times in three years. In 2010, he planted on 1/2 acre and harvested 100 bags. In 2011, he made Ksh 34,000 (USD 403) after selling 85 bags.

This marked a defining moment for him, and he seized the opportunity to create an additional income stream supplying clean and disease free planting materials and nurture a reputation as a reliable seed multiplier.

The cassava seed multipliers have been trained through FCI’s strategic collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Kenya Agricultural Livestock and Research Institute (KALRO) and other stakeholders including Rural Energy and Food Security Organization (REFSO) to support the cassava revolution.

Key training areas include quality control, pest and disease management, spacing, fertilizer application and seed harvesting. Mr. Okana is one of 243 village-based seed multipliers who have established multiplication farms across the four Programme sites in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

Contacts of seed multipliers such as Josephat Okana are kept in Commercial Villages’ records for quick linkages to members of the Commercial Village and other potential buyers. Prior to the planting season, farmers are sensitized on the need to plant improved cassava varieties and where the planting materials can be sourced.

As more farmers embrace the improved varieties such as MH 95/0183, they enhance food security because the varieties produce high yields, matures early and are resistant to diseases and pests.

Strong links to markets for smallholder farmers are essential to generating economic growth in rural areas and reducing hunger and poverty. These links also boost productivity, increase incomes and strengthen food security. Better access by smallholders to domestic and international markets means that they can reliably sell more produce at higher prices. This in turn encourages farmers to invest in their own businesses and increase the quantity, quality and diversity of the goods they produce in order to meet market requirements, as in the case of Mbuguni Commercial Village, Arusha, Tanzania.

Mbuguni, Arusha Region is located in Northern Tanzania. It is a semi-arid area characterized by fertile sandy soils and erratic rainfall, posing major challenges to farmers. 

After FCI’s commercialization efforts through the Expanded Commercial Village Processing Programme (ECVPP), Mbuguni Commercial village has started building a new Cassava Processing Unit with plans to relocate their processing machine into the new building. This is because the old processing unit did not meet the standard for certification of cassava products to be sold in formal markets in Tanzania. Consequently, Mbuguni Commercial village has not able to sell their processed cassava into formal markets, but were instead depending on local markets, which fetch lower prices.

The CV requested help from the local government in locating a plot of land in order for them to build a new Cassava Processing Unit. As soon as the plot was located, the group started building.

After completion of the new processing unit, Mbuguni farmers are targeting to have the cassava certified by Tanzania Bureau of Standards, in order to qualify for the formal markets.

Kafulama Commercial Village smallholder farmers realized sales worth over USD 7,000 from collective marketing under the Malawi Potato commercialization Programme supported by IFAD and implemented by Farm Concern International, FCI in partnership with Ministry of Agriculture and market partnerships with traditional informal wholesale buyers and processing companies.