Mozambique, Malawi

Chinyanja Triangle Soil Fertility Project

Overview:

As part of the Rural Livelihoods Diversified Activity – Soil Fertility (RLDA-SF) consortium, CNFA promoted the development of private sector networks of agrodealers to commercialize agricultural inputs distribution in Southern Africa. Through our Malawi affiliate, Rural Market Development Trust (RUMARK), we designed and implemented this program to expand the agricultural input distribution system, to increase the flow of inputs to smallholder farmers, and to increase production and incomes in the Malawi and Mozambique region of “Chinyanja Triangle.”

Program Approach:

  • Build business capacity of agrodealers and link agrodealers with supply;
  • Demonstrate new technologies to targeted beneficiaries;
  • Conduct training in product use;
  • Train a cadre of professional trainers.

Information and Knowledge Management: Our team held training sessions on product knowledge and handling; equipping agrodealers with knowledge and skills on how to handle inputs such as seed, fertilizers and chemicals; increasing agrodealers’ awareness of the Government of Mozambique’s policies on use and marketing of agrochemicals (pesticides) and their relevance to business practices; informing agrodealers on the issues and challenges associated with developing linkages with supply companies; and improving agrodealers’ knowledge on area-specific fertilizers.

CNFA integrated specific “Demand Creation on Fertilizer Use and Efficiency” (FUE) courses into the program, enabling agrodealers to more effectively promote their products. Demand creation activities, such as demonstration plots, also provided agrodealers with a marketing tool to promote their stocks to farmers.

Market Facilitation & Input Supply System Development: CNFA led business management training courses to build and improve management practices for retail agricultural enterprises. This enabled local agrodealers to play a more pivotal role in creating a more efficient distribution system for channeling agricultural inputs to Mozambique’s smallholder farmers.

  • 93 agrodealers trained and certified by CNFA in business management;
  • 35 agrodealers participated in training on retail agricultural inputs;
  • 71 demonstration plots established;
  • 32 field days facilitated, serving over 2,000 local small-holder farmers;

CNFA/RUMARK collaborated with input supply companies to expand their reach within the geographic area of Mozambique inside the Chinyanja Triangle. Three supply companies participated in CNFA-led meetings regarding the mobilization of supply company credit for trained agrodealers or agrodealer associations.

Over the course of the project, we equipped commercial trainers with skills that would enable them to be effective trainers of agrodealers. 13 trainers were trained and are now able to offer business management training to new agrodealer clientele.