Dedza’s Path to Sustained Economic Growth and Prosperity

Key Business Points:
– Farmers accessing direct markets through cooperatives are increasing profits by up to 40% by negotiating fair pricing and eliminating middlemen
– Smallholder farmers are boosting productivity and income by up to 89% through climate information services and new weather forecasting tools
– Gender-conscious household planning is improving family cooperation and enabling better investment in long-term business ventures

For years, smallholder farmers in Dedza District labored under unpredictable weather, poor market access, and limited household financial planning, struggling to turn hard work into meaningful profit. But a shift is underway as farmers embrace new strategies that are transforming subsistence farming into profitable enterprises.

In Group Village Head Chimphandu, the Kaphirisaya Cooperative has become a model for market access reforms. Formed in 2015 and registered in 2020, the cooperative partnered with the Trade Programme in 2022 to pursue collective marketing of soya beans and other crops. “We used to sell our produce individually and often at throw-away prices,” says Cecilia Phiri, a cooperative member. “Middlemen would dictate terms. We had no bargaining power.”

Through Trade, farmers received training in cooperative management, financial planning, and marketing. Today, the cooperative aggregates produce and negotiates directly with buyers, drastically improving pricing. Sales jumped from 8,000 bags generating over K925 million between 2022 and 2023, to K1 billion in the 2024/25 season. Members are reinvesting in their farms—some have purchased cattle and expanded cultivated land.

Elsewhere, climate information services are delivering measurable gains. Under the Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture initiative, farmers receive targeted forecasts via text and the Mlimi Hotline. Sikauti Binifasiyo saw potato harvests grow from 21 to 50 bags under irrigation, lifting his income to K8.25 million from K2.04 million. Others have used improved planning to diversify into livestock, expand housing, or pay for their children’s education.

Gender equality and household harmony are also showing business impact. The Mitera family integrated gender-aware household planning through the Gender Action Learning System. Before that, they spent farm income without a long-term strategy. Now they set shared goals for three-year cycles—investing in pigs, opening a shop, adding solar power, improving housing, and expanding crop acreage. In 2023/24 they harvested 62 bags of maize and 46 bags of potatoes. Next, they plan to purchase a vehicle to support both farming and transport services.

Dedza District Council’s Director of Agricultural Services says this combination of market access, climate forecasting, and gender cooperation is essential for sustainable rural growth. The Trade Programme is helping farmers convert farming from a survival activity into a viable enterprise with promising profits and greater stability, an approach with potential for wider adoption across Malawi’s agricultural sector.

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