Agribusiness network promotes smallholder farmers
Africa Agribusiness Academy (AAA), an online business coaching platform, is running programmes that empower agro-based businesses to turn them into commercial trades.
So far, 36 agribusinesses in Lilongwe and Blantyre are part of the system that has turned the fortunes of other smallholder farmers in East Africa, according to AAA.
In an interview, AAA country board chairperson Victor Chambaika Mhango said so far, there have been tangible results from opportunities such as trainings and links to service providers.
He said: “We are a network of entrepreneurs and we come together to share ideas, offer linkages to financing, capacity building activities and markets for our produce. We are working in six countries, namely Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania and Malawi.
“We bring together our members to interact with different stakeholders from government, financial institutions, service providers as well as all those interested or have programmes promoting the growth of agribusinesses in Malawi.”
One of the AAA members, Lucy Mandala, who is a soybean and groundnuts farmer through her Jesco Enterprises, said she is now adding value to groundnuts.
“I make peanut butter and got pre-certified by Malawi Bureau of Standards last year. Since I joined AAA, it has been worthwhile and before the end of the year, we will buy a machine to increase output for peanut butter,” she said.
