In the rural territory of Chief Mwankhunikira in Rumphi District, some 115 groundnuts farmers who once struggled with market instability now face the future with hope.
Since August, Chigomezgo Cooperative has been processing peanut butter instead of worrying about selling their raw produce on the cheap to roaming buyers who dictate prices for groundnuts they did not grow.
“We sell our peanut butter at K8 000 to K15 000 per botttle, depending on the quantity,” says cooperative leader Steven Chavula. “Since August when we acquired the machine, we have made a K565 000 profit and our livelihoods are improving.”
The peanut butter-making machine was procured by the Norwegian Church Aid and DanChurchAid (NCA-DCA) under the Sustainable Food Systems for Rural Agriculture Transformation and Resilience (Transform) Project.
The Transform project, implemented in partnership with the Norwegian University of Life Sciences with support the Royal Norwegian Embassy, has significantly improved farmers’ income, nutrition and resilience.
Chavula says their families now enjoy improved food security, nutritional health and better incomes because they peanut butter fetches more than raw nuts.
The five-year project, worth $32 million (about K56 billion) has transformed agricultural practices and value addition in Rumphi, Mzimba, Kasungu, Dowa and Mchinji.
It is implemented by the Catholic Development Commission (Cadecom), AG Care, Find Your Feet, Total Land Care and the Trustees of Agriculture Promotion Programme.
Tryness Hara of Mwahenga Cooperative in the least densely populated district received 40 kilogrammes (kgs) of groundnut seeds in 2024, but harvested 95 twenty-litre buckets.
“I sold 70 bucketfuls for K700 000 and reserved the rest for my family’s nutrition. I used the money to buy cement for house maintenance. I also bought fertiliser for my barren fields and paid school fees for my children. I spent K150 000 on their education,” he says.
Transform promotes crop diversification and livestock rearing to boost diversified diets.
Ireen Mzembe joined Tovwirane Farmers Club in 2021.
She constructed dams for irrigating her crops, fish production and hydrating her goats and pigs.
She brags: “I get over K500 000 from fish sales alone. My eight children no longer look malnourished. They are all healthy.
“I have also constructed a house from the proceeds. We no longer worry about hunger and poverty because we grow crops all year-round.”
Find Your Feet field officer Issa Mwanjabe says most target households have become food-secure and financially empowered.
As the project winds up, participants face a new chapter of resilience and self-sufficiency.
