"Hi Lewis,
We are embarking on a similar approach in Malawi under the USAID-funded Wellness and Agriculture for Livelihoods Advancement (WALA) project. WALA has been supporting about 250 community agents (similar to lead farmers) who act as liaisons…"
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GITAU MBURE's Page
Latest Activity
GITAU MBURE commented on Business Innovation Facility Hub's blog post Why and how could a farmer invest in better agri-inputs?"Yes they are. In fact, WALA supported households have saved about $1.25 million through village savings and loans (VS&L) during the 2011-12 cropping season. The funds saved are shared out around October/November so that group members can utilize…"
GITAU MBURE commented on Business Innovation Facility Hub's blog post Why and how could a farmer invest in better agri-inputs?"Completely agree. I have found it interesting that in Malawi, smallholder farmers are averse to borrowing to finance production and I don't blame them; not only is it expensive to borrow from formal channels, it is also risky for the borrower…"
GITAU MBURE posted a blog postWebinar Launch: Integrating Very Poor Producers into Value Chains Field Guide, November 20, 2012. 9:00 am Washington, DC time
http://microlinks.kdid.org/events/webinar-launch-integrating-very-poor-producers-value-chains-field-guidePlease join SEEP’s Market Facilitation (MaFI) Working Group and Strengthening the Economic Potential of the Ultra Poor (STEP UP) Initiative in hosting the first of three webinars on the recently launched “Integrating Very Poor Producers into Value Chains…See More
GITAU MBURE added a discussion to the group Malawi Network
WALA Marketing Fairs - Starting Aug 1, 2012 in Zomba
WALA program will be hosting marketing fairs in the southern region as per attached brief. We hope you can join us!See More
GITAU MBURE joined Business Innovation Facility's groupMalawi Network
Join the Malawi Network to connect with Practitioners, get update alerts and view the projects receiving support in Malawi. See More
Arnold M Chapanduka commented on GITAU MBURE's blog post Linking Farmers to Buyers Through Marketing Fairs"Thanks Gitau for sharing some valuable insights. One of the major challenges being experinced by development practitioners is the lack of upto date information on the products and quantities required by the market. This infromation can actually be…"
"Thanks for this blog Gitau and I look forward to this years fair! When the time comes please post more about it on the Malawi page so we can get more people attending!"
A blog post by GITAU MBURE was featuredLinking Farmers to Buyers Through Marketing Fairs
When asked what is the biggest problem they encounter in their farming business, most smallholder farmers in Malawi will say it is a lack of markets. When asked what is the major obstacle they face in business, exporters of major cash crops such as pigeon peas and chillies often mention a lack of reliable supply. This clearly points to a gap in expectations that can be attributed to lack of information. Availability of accurate and timely information on what the market needs results in…See More
GITAU MBURE posted a blog postLinking Farmers to Buyers Through Marketing Fairs
When asked what is the biggest problem they encounter in their farming business, most smallholder farmers in Malawi will say it is a lack of markets. When asked what is the major obstacle they face in business, exporters of major cash crops such as pigeon peas and chillies often mention a lack of reliable supply. This clearly points to a gap in expectations that can be attributed to lack of information. Availability of accurate and timely information on what the market needs results in…See More
GITAU MBURE left a comment for Georgina Turner"Thanks, Georgina. I will try to put some info on WALA agribusiness in the coming weeks. The platform has quite a bit of interesting info which I think will benefit our work and we also look forward to sharing our lessons.
Gitau"
"Hi Gitau! Welcome to the Hub! It is great that you have joined and it would be really useful if you could blog about the Agribusiness element to the WALA project. I think the Marketing Fairs in particular are a really interesting aspect which people…"
Profile Information
- Organisation
- ACDI/VOCA
- Website
- http://www.acdivoca.org
- Title
- Agribusiness Specialist
- About My Work
- I currently serve as the agribusiness team leader on the USAID funded WALA projected in Malawi. With a headquarters office in Blantyre, WALA works in eight districts in the Southern Region of Malawi seeking to improve food security for approx. 215,000 chronically food insecure households. Activities include health and nutrition, livelihoods support in agriculture and savings led lending and disaster risk mitigation.
The agribusiness component falls under the livelihoods activities and has a goal of linking 20,600 smallholder farming households to profitable markets. This is being done through training and technical support to identify market opportunities, build capacity of farmers to get organized and engage with buyers and facilitating linkages between farmers organizations and private and public sector value chain stakeholders. To date, WALA has enrolled over 25,000 farmers in marketing groups helping them to increase earnings through improved marketing of various crops including pigeon peas and bird's eye chillies.
- Sector
- Consultant
- Country Interest
- Malawi
- Issues of Interest
- Inclusive Business: Value Chains, Inclusive Business: Products and Services, Working in partnership, Impact assessment, Working with farmers & the informal sector, Driving & managing change inside the company
- Main Reason for Joining this Site
- Networking with fellow practitioners
GITAU MBURE's Blog
Webinar Launch: Integrating Very Poor Producers into Value Chains Field Guide, November 20, 2012. 9:00 am Washington, DC time
Please join SEEP’s Market Facilitation (MaFI) Working Group and Strengthening the Economic Potential of the Ultra Poor (STEP UP) Initiative in hosting the first of three webinars on the recently launched “Integrating Very Poor Producers…
ContinuePosted on November 20, 2012 at 9:07
Linking Farmers to Buyers Through Marketing Fairs
When asked what is the biggest problem they encounter in their farming business, most smallholder farmers in Malawi will say it is a lack of markets. When asked what is the major obstacle they face in business, exporters of major cash crops such as pigeon peas and chillies often mention a lack of reliable supply. This clearly points to a gap in expectations that can be attributed to lack of information. Availability of accurate and timely information on what the market needs results in…
ContinuePosted on June 24, 2012 at 2:00 — 2 Comments
Comment Wall (1 comment)
- At 7:01 on May 9, 2012,
Georgina Turner said…
Hi Gitau! Welcome to the Hub! It is great that you have joined and it would be really useful if you could blog about the Agribusiness element to the WALA project. I think the Marketing Fairs in particular are a really interesting aspect which people are not aware of yet. I looking forward to chattign to you more about this. Best, Georgina
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