In Chinthembwe, a rural setting in the northwestern approach to Chileka International Airport in Blantyre, a youth-led farm enterprise is taking off.
For the youthful brains behind the farm-based business under construction, their emerging pig houses is a wake-up to their peers that they have no time to waste—as it has become harder to survive on a single income.
This is the story of Zoona Piggery Cooperative, where 37 ambitious young Malawians with secure jobs and businesses City are getting dirty, building the future they want.
“For us, this is not a part-time activity, but a full-time job,” says Fanny Mangame Chamkakala, 30. “Given the attention it deserves, farming can be more profitable than white-collar jobs.”
She holds a degree in computer science from the University of Malawi.
It’s just about time
The graduate works with FDH Bank from Monday to Friday, but dedicates her free time to the farm with 33 pigs.
As the animals oink in a scramble for food, she is excited to take her turn at the farm where two pigsties are taking shape brick by brick with support from the $333 million Agriculture Commercialisation (Agcom) project funded by the World Bank.
She says: “It’s just about time management.
“It’s like a baby; It’s something we started and we have seen it grow, so it deserves our attention. We want our vision to bear the desired fruit.”
Zonona got underway in 2020 with six young professionals contributing money to buy three pigs which they tamed in Mapanga Township in the commercial city.
They continued to make the monthly contribution to grow the business, which now comprises 16 women and 21 men.
“We had 20 pigs when we first heard about Agcom. We apply for the matching grants because we only had to contribute 30 percent of the total we wanted to develop our enterprise for Agcom to give us the remaining 70 percent,” Chamkakala narrates.
The group’s business concept qualified for a K104 million for construction of the two pigsties housing 60 pigs each.
“We have completed one using the first instalment worth about K60 million and the other, which will be funded by the remainder, is already off the ground,” says Chamkakala contentedly.
The matching grant was complete with training on how to successfully manage livestock, businesses and group dynamics.
“The financial boost came at the right time when we were dreaming big, but lacked funds and know-how to turn our collective dream into reality.”
Zoona Piggery Cooperative sells pork and live animals. A weaned piglet fetches K38 000 while grown-ups rake up to K250 000 each.
“When we slaughter the big ones, we sell them to Chigwera Merchants, our trusted off-taker with whom we have a signed agreement. So, the next big thing is a slaughterhouse.”
The rising piggery mirrors the transformative partnerships promoted by the Government of Malawi’s flagship project to accelerate the transition to commercial agriculture.
Wealth creation
According to Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale, Agcom is pivotal to the national vision to transform Malawi into a self-reliant, upper middle-income economy by 2063.
Increasing agricultural productivity and commercialisation is one of the pillars of the Malawi 2063 national agenda for wealth creation and ending poverty by the first centenary of self-rule.
According to Agcom national coordinator Ted Nakhumwa, the second round of Agcom seeks to support 569 small and medium farm enterprises (SMEs) and off-takers within six years.
It supports efforts to builds productive alliances, linking producers with strategic off-takers, including anchor farmers, processing firms and exporters who buy the products on contract.
“Agcom 2 has three windows,” he says. “The first, like the initial phase of the project, focuses on primary production with a little value addition. The second targets producers who have good volumes to go into value addition. The third supports small and medium enterprises as off-takers of the groups in the first window.
“With increasing awareness, over 3 000 groups responded to our call for concepts in group one. This is a huge jump as similar calls in Agcom 1 used to yield 200 to 300 submissions.”
For Chamkakala and her group, it is time to work harder, more and smarter.
He said: “To the youth, we are the change we want and farming is cool. As the majority of our population, we cannot afford to leave agriculture, which feeds our nation, to the elderly few.”
