Improving the Incomes and Food Security of Smallholder Farmers in Malawi (2001-2005).
This program was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation.
Over the years, RUMARK has implemented a variety of programs focused on increasing smallholder access to improved inputs and technologies. Some of the projects we have carried out are below:
This program was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation.
This was funded by USAID/Southern Africa and was implemented in partnership with IITA, ICRISAT and TSBF-CIAT.
funded by the Rockefeller Foundation (2005-2007). This was a US$1,200,000 project. 400 agrodealers were developed and the project established the basis for further agrodealer development interventions including the establishment of RUMARK.
This was funded by the USAID. This program aimed at generating farmer demand for technical education on inputs and new technologies through demonstration plots, field days and local shows.
This program trained 1507 rural entrepreneurs and created a strong network of 400 operational agrodealer shops providing 150,000 smallholder farmers (35% women) with access to inputs, technology, information and access to cash markets. A total of 27 districts were covered and a total of 146 grants were made.
This project trained 29 hub agrodealer, 250 new agrodealers in the remote areas of the central region, 23,074 farm families’ accessed inputs, and the RUMARK agrodealer Association successfully completed an exchange visit to a fellow association in Uganda. The association’s convention was successfully done. Partnerships with five supply companies were successfully developed for the new agrodealers.
Currently RUMARK is implementing the Youth Work in Agro-dealer Development (YWIAD) project. This project is under the YEFFA program implemented by AGRA with funding from the Mastercard Foundation.
Despite efforts to improve agricultural productivity, the sector remains hindered by limited access to quality inputs, poor market linkages, and a lack of youth involvement in agri-business, particularly among women and people with disabilities.
The YWIAD project aims to transform this landscape by creating an inclusive, youth-driven agro-dealer network. The project focuses on diversifying agro-dealer services to include output marketing, advisory services, and commodity aggregation. This will not only increase the income of smallholder farmers but also provide sustainable employment opportunities for young people, particularly women and individuals with disabilities, in underserved areas.
By training and supporting 1,000 new agro-dealers and capacitating 600 existing ones, the YWIAD project seeks to improve smallholder farmers’ access to inputs while fostering entrepreneurship among the youth. The project also emphasizes the need for inclusive and sustainable practices, ensuring that agro-dealers play a vital role in the economic development of rural communities.
The YWIAD initiative is expected to create a ripple effect in Malawi’s agricultural value chain by increasing the volumes of inputs sold, reducing the average distance farmers travel to access inputs and extension services, and improving market opportunities for smallholder farmers through the aggregation of produce.
RUMARK’s mandate is to improve smallholder farmers’ yields and incomes by facilitating the Availability and affordability of agro inputs through the development of rural agro dealers in all districts of Malawi.