Israel-Africa Pioneer Program: Malawi

Conventional farming practices are creating an increased demand for farmland throughout Africa, often at the expense of forests, clean water, and soil health. While individual technologies can be used to reverse the damage caused by such practices, achieving impactful and lasting change requires holistic approaches championed by local leaders. 

The IAPP identifies and invites exceptional agri-entrepreneurs (Pioneers) who are established leaders in their community to form a partnership dedicated to bringing holistic and tangible solutions directly to African farmers. Working with top Israeli agronomists, they create a comprehensive plan for increasing local productivity and profitability through restorative agriculture. This partnership is designed to effectively utilize the plethora of available, relevant Israeli expertise as a catalyst in the creation of effective and sustainable local agri-ecosystems. 

Focusing on the empowerment of proven individuals who are already successfully serving their communities, we can scale this program throughout Africa, impacting thousands of farmers annually.

80% of the Malawian workforce are farmers, and over half operate below subsistence. According to the World Bank, up to 60% of Malawi’s land is affected by soil erosion and nutrient loss and more than half of Malawi’s forests and woodlands have vanished over the last 40 years as farmers seek to compensate for decreasing yields by increasing acreage. 

For many farmers, the immediate threat of starvation supersedes any concerns about long term damage to their soil and water. Malawi’s tragic history of agricultural exploitation has sowed a deep distrust in the adaptation of new technologies/methodologies from abroad, but a lack of local leadership makes the education needed to implement change, even among the willing, almost impossible. The current ratio of government extension workers to farmers is 1:3,000 against the recommended FAO ratio of 1:500.

A lack of holistically designed solution-based programming run by local, trusted agents is not unique to Malawi. Throughout Africa millions of farmers forgo the crucial use of affordable and easily implementable solutions because they lack the education required to tailor those solutions to their individual needs. Ultimately, the decimation of local biodiversity and resources risks turning the “bread-basket of the world” into a barren desert.

The IAPP closes the gap between knowledge and implementation by creating an effective channel for ongoing farmer education and by partnering with local leadership to create healthy agricultural eco-systems in which existing solutions, technologies and protocols are conveyed to smallholder farmers within the holistic framework of the entire agricultural value chain. The holistic nature and partnership with local lay leaders significantly reduce the farmer’s risk, freeing them to implement sizable change to the benefit of the restoration of their land and their economic and nutritional wellbeing. 

Our team of Israeli agronomists and agri-economists work with the Pioneer to map out the local needs and challenges and design a comprehensive two-year plan that includes:  

• Agricultural extension (optimizing sustainable production and focusing on short and long-term growth)

• Economic advisory (ensuring market feasibility and economic viability for each venture)

• Demonstration farms (helping pioneers transform their farms into effective and accessible demonstration sites for the wider community)

• Capacity building (Including 3 Israeli run demonstrations and visits over 2 years and ongoing virtual support)

• Technology transfer (identification, adaptation and application of affordable technologies given local agroecological conditions).

Following the two-year period, the pioneers will join an alumni community dedicated to their continuous support and growth.

The IAPP addresses the needs of several different cohorts in Malawi. The first is the Pioneer herself: Ngabaghila Chatata. Although she will receive no direct funds from the IAPP, the program will provide Ngabaghila with access to extensive training and support services tailored to her needs and the needs of local farmers and agri-entrepreneurs. This will be of particular benefit to her because, while the provision of extension services is progressively increasing locally, shortcomings remain. The program will afford her an unprecedented level of support and expertise to improve her agricultural activities. 

The second is an approximated 100 leading local farmers. Using a train-the-trainer approach, these farmers will receive extensive training - primarily from Ngabaghila, but also from Israeli experts - in order to empower them to implement and disseminate this information and relevant technologies. The needs of this cohort will be captured and considered thanks to Ngabaghila’s contact with this cohort. As with Ngabaghila, this project will provide them with significant additional know-how to improve their own production and that of the farmers and agri-entrepreneurs around them. 

The third group is composed of the estimated 600 other local farmers and agri-entrepreneurs who will receive training and/or incubation through Ngabaghila and the demonstration farm over the course of two years. Here too, the needs of this group will be considered thanks to Ngabaghila’s contact with this cohort. The challenges posed by agricultural extension shortcomings alongside harmful and inefficient farming methods will be addressed through the provision of training and advice from a trusted peer. This will help to improve local agricultural yields while mitigating environmental degradation. 

Finally, the IAPP also seeks to provide broader positive impacts among local communities. These are wide reaching but notably include increased consumer access to abundant and higher quality local foodstuffs, increased employment opportunities for local residents driven by agricultural improvement, and the various benefits for local communities associated with a reduction in environmental degradation.

The IAPP creates a framework that maintains a flow of innovation/information specifically catered to the needs of farmers, all delivered by trusted local leaders. This framework increases awareness and decreases risk, ensuring that current and future innovations benefitting the socio-economic and ecological interests of the region can be effectively delivered to and applied by local farmers.

Through the implementation of proven Israeli (and global) technologies adapted to local market demands, farmers can reduce the risk of implementing restorative agricultural practices while improving their socio-economic status and bringing higher-quality produce to the local consumer.

Several services, including agricultural advisory, extension, capacity-building and training, embedded into the IAPP framework have been tested and successfully delivered in well-established organizational programming at Volcani International Partnerships. Other services, such as remote extension support, will be attempted for the first time in this project. Additionally, the holistic application of the Pioneer model is itself a new and unique approach. IAPP as a comprehensive package requires testing and assessment. As such, the IAPP corresponds best to the Prototype developmental stage.

The program will be deployed in Malawi’s Thanthwe Farm to test its benefits for the Pioneer and the estimated 1000 farmers and agri-entrepreneurs in neighboring communities. Thanthwe Farm is an ideal partner for the deployment and testing of this solution in light of Ngabaghila’s track record of training among neighboring farming communities and the potential for local agricultural challenges to be addressed through training, extension and technologies. 

Rather than focus on a single technology to solve a single problem, our solution strives to bridge the gap between knowledge and implementation by creating a supportive framework through which the myriad of existing technologies can be adapted to individual farmer’s needs at a local, holistic level. Our solution relies on two innovative features:

Israel’s UVP: Though tiny in size, Israel is a global leader in agricultural innovation. Additionally, its rate of progress is unparalleled. These factors combine to create a close-knit network of world-class experts who also witnessed the agricultural revolution of a country firsthand. IAPP offers our pioneers full access to Israel’s agricultural ecosystem and its increasingly relevant expertise in arid and semi-arid agriculture.

Pioneer Partnership: A crucial element of the IAPP is the early stage at which local lay leaders are brought in as full partners. A team of Israeli experts fly to meet the Pioneer and their team, where they work together to identify the central challenges and barriers to success and then select the solutions and necessary adaptations needed for their successful application.

 Crucially, these two innovative features are most impactful when considered together. The IAPP does not empower local leaders to merely implement certain technologies. Nor is Israeli know-how imposed through a top-down approach. Rather, the IAPP puts the whole repertoire of Israeli expertise and technologies at the service of problem-solving efforts driven by local agricultural leadership. This makes it truly innovative, a genuine partnership and a likely catalyst for significant change.

Current Year: 1

1 Pioneer (early planning stage) 

In One Year: 350

1 Pioneer, 100 Leading Local Farmers (trainers and extension workers), 250 Local Malawian Smallholder Farmers

In Five Years: ~8,000

20 Pioneers, 2,000 Leading Local Farmers (trainers and extension workers), 6,000 African Smallholder Farmers (primarily in Tanzania)

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We are currently working with one pioneer, and plan to continue working with her exclusively for the next 18 months. We are also developing a larger-scale program with partners throughout Tanzania, with whom we are hoping to roll out the IAPP with 16 pioneers. We believe that our own organization can feasibly reach up to 20 pioneers annually and are actively looking to scale through external partnerships that can replicate the model. 

It is worth noting that the 100 leading local farmers participating in our prototype launch each serve independent communities ranging from tens to hundreds of farmers. Though these are indirect beneficiaries, the "train-the-trainer" model is crucial to growing our impact.

To measure the impact of the IAPP, we have already commissioned the creation of an assessment framework for the program. This framework will be reviewed, updated and finalized after the assessment visit has been conducted by the Israeli experts. 

Key performance indicators to be measured and monitored are likely to include the following:

1. Increased Sustainability
2. Increased Productivity
   1. Increase in yields kg / hectare or % increase
   2. Reduction in post-harvest losses by kg / hectare or >#/p###
3. Increased profitability
   1. $ change in kg / hectare
   1. Increase in quality of produce
4. Impact Pioneers are having on their Wider Community
   1. Number of secondary beneficiaries reached (ie. farmers, extension etc)
5. Increased Knowledge and Technology
   1. No. of new and improved seeds utilized
   2. No. of new technologies introduced successfully

Sustainable Development Goals: The Israel-Africa Pioneer Program will contribute to a number of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Eight people are working as part of the solution team. 

This includes one full-time staff, one part-time staff, the first Pioneer and five contractors (agricultural experts and economists). 

The organization (Volcani International Partnerships) has 3 full-time staff, 2 part-time staff and regularly employs contractors (specific agricultural experts) on a project-by-project basis.

Whether they be researchers, agronomists, agricultural economists or entrepreneurs, Volcani International Partnerships boasts a unique and unparalleled access to Israeli agricultural experts. The makeup of our Israeli Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board - which notably feature a former Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Environment and a former Director General of the Volcani Institute (Israel’s national agricultural research center) - is a testament to this comprehensive access. 

The solution team also has a credible understanding of local needs and experiences. The IAPP’s first Pioneer, Ngabaghila Chatata, is uniquely placed in this instance. Ngabaghila is a prominent Malawian agri-entrepreneur. While she did not have a background in farming, when Ngabaghila realized that Malawi was importing nearly all of its high value crops, she decided it was her responsibility to fill that vacuum. Ngabaghila and her husband founded Thanthwe farms in 2012. She has a proven record of success when it comes to running a sustainable and profitable farm. As a trusted community figure, she also benefits from extensive exposure to and understanding of local needs and experiences.

Finally, the IAPP’s first pioneer also has a proven record of training and influencing local farmers and agri-entrepreneurs. To date, over 3000 people have benefited from her workshops and agri-entrepreneur incubation courses. Ngabaghila not only boasts an awe-inspiring local network, her farm is already an established and recognised place of learning among relevant stakeholders.

We hope to connect with the wide range of expertise and innovation comprising the Solve network. We hope to find partners for this and other programs and to benefit from the mentorship offered. 

1. A crucial point of success for our Agricultural Pioneers is in proper market integration. We will need to build concrete business models to facilitate participating farmers and would like to seek out local partners with market inroads in the region as well as Solve mentorship during development and execution. 
2. We would be grateful of any assistance in developing our PR and communications activities, especially in our target region. We believe that by building a strong media presence among our participants we can further foster the development of a coherent and lasting community. 
3. We have created an extensive framework for monitoring and evaluation - a cornerstone of any initiative we undertake. We are constantly re-evaluating our assumptions and approaches as we seek to improve project efficacy and grow our impact for our participants. 

To date, we have never regretted taking a "the more the merrier" approach. While the Pioneer Program is new, past projects have benefitted greatly from the connections we forge with: 

• Locally based NGOs
• International aid agencies and foundations 
• Academic institutions 
• Local government agencies

The Pioneer Program sonly stands to benefit by embedding itself more deeply into existing frameworks and structures and we see part of our role as facilitators of those connections.

Our program is built around the creation of more sustainable farming communities and easily meets the priority areas stated by the GM Prize.

Women account for nearly half of the world’s smallholder farmers and produce 70% of Africa’s food. But female farmers produce 20–30% less than their male counterparts, mostly on account of differences in their access to and use of resources.

Through the IAPP's focus on capacity building and training, we are enhancing the use of enabling technology and expertise to promote the empowerment of women in agriculture throughout Africa. This is a value we share with our incredible first Pioneer, who (a woman herself who actively seeks to promote other women), is committed to helping us empower female farmers in Malawi.