Solidaridad enhances crop productivity for small-scale farmers in Malawi

In its efforts to boost crop production, Solidaridad, a global network with operations across multiple continents, is working to support small-scale farmers in addressing global supply chain challenges, particularly in Malawi.

Andre de Freitas, Executive Director of Solidaridad, highlighted the organization’s commitment to improving the cotton supply chain in Malawi by providing farmers with high-quality seeds, training in new agricultural technologies, and essential resources.

“Malawi has a large population engaged in farming—about 70 percent. Much of the work remains manual, and there is a great opportunity for improvement,” de Freitas said. “We’ve seen these changes in other parts of the world, and we hope similar progress can be made here in Malawi.”

The organization is focused on addressing key challenges in cotton production. As part of their efforts, Solidaridad has successfully produced 160 tonnes of high-quality cotton seeds, which will support nearly 50,000 farmers. This initiative ensures that farmers have access to quality seeds to improve their cotton yields.

Given Phiri, Project Coordinator for Solidaridad in Malawi, emphasized the importance of collaboration among various stakeholders, including the Cotton Council of Malawi and agricultural scientists, to provide research-driven guidance to farmers for higher productivity.

Solidaridad is working to support a diverse group of farmers: 20,000 engaged in cotton production, 20,000 venturing into tea farming, and 15,000 in soya bean farming.

Among the organization’s key achievements are training over 2,400 farmers in Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), producing and distributing 160 tonnes of cotton seed to 40,000 farmers, launching a digital payment system to reduce risks in the cotton sector benefiting over 15,000 registered farmers, and distributing over 80,000 tea seedlings to more than 10,000 tea farmers in Malawi.

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