Can cooperatives commercialize farming in Malawi?

Smallholder farmers constitute the largest group of economic actors in Malawi and there is increasing recognition that the small scale at which they operate does not offer for most a pathway out of poverty, let alone to prosperity. Increasingly the idea is gaining traction that by joining forces thr...

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Autores principales: Davis, Kristin E., Kazembe, Cynthia, Benson, Todd, De Weerdt, Joachim, Duchoslav, Jan
Formato: Brief
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131414
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author Davis, Kristin E.
Kazembe, Cynthia
Benson, Todd
De Weerdt, Joachim
Duchoslav, Jan
author_browse Benson, Todd
Davis, Kristin E.
De Weerdt, Joachim
Duchoslav, Jan
Kazembe, Cynthia
author_facet Davis, Kristin E.
Kazembe, Cynthia
Benson, Todd
De Weerdt, Joachim
Duchoslav, Jan
author_sort Davis, Kristin E.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Smallholder farmers constitute the largest group of economic actors in Malawi and there is increasing recognition that the small scale at which they operate does not offer for most a pathway out of poverty, let alone to prosperity. Increasingly the idea is gaining traction that by joining forces through primary agricultural cooperatives, smallholder farmers across Malawi can reap many of the benefits that larger farmers on commercial estates have been able to realize, such as  negotiating better price for agricultural inputs through bulk purchases;  negotiating better prices for agricultural outputs through aggregation and storage;  adding value to raw agricultural products;  accessing professional equipment, such as tractors or irrigation;  hiring professional services, such as a farm or business manager; or  pooling contiguous pieces of land for more efficient farming. In this brief we summarize the findings of a detailed report (Davis et al., 2022) on research conducted to assess the current status of cooperatives in the country and what project implementers and policymakers can do to enable cooperatives to contribute to increased commercialization and professionalization of smallholder farming in Malawi.
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spelling CGSpace1314142025-11-06T05:15:10Z Can cooperatives commercialize farming in Malawi? Davis, Kristin E. Kazembe, Cynthia Benson, Todd De Weerdt, Joachim Duchoslav, Jan smallholders poverty farmers agricultural cooperatives inputs prices agricultural products farm equipment land commercialization development Smallholder farmers constitute the largest group of economic actors in Malawi and there is increasing recognition that the small scale at which they operate does not offer for most a pathway out of poverty, let alone to prosperity. Increasingly the idea is gaining traction that by joining forces through primary agricultural cooperatives, smallholder farmers across Malawi can reap many of the benefits that larger farmers on commercial estates have been able to realize, such as  negotiating better price for agricultural inputs through bulk purchases;  negotiating better prices for agricultural outputs through aggregation and storage;  adding value to raw agricultural products;  accessing professional equipment, such as tractors or irrigation;  hiring professional services, such as a farm or business manager; or  pooling contiguous pieces of land for more efficient farming. In this brief we summarize the findings of a detailed report (Davis et al., 2022) on research conducted to assess the current status of cooperatives in the country and what project implementers and policymakers can do to enable cooperatives to contribute to increased commercialization and professionalization of smallholder farming in Malawi. 2023-05-19 2023-08-08T09:32:50Z 2023-08-08T09:32:50Z Brief https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131414 en https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.136709 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Davis, Kristin; Kazembe, Cynthia; Benson, Todd; De Weerdt, Joachim; and Duchoslav, Jan. 2023. Can cooperatives commercialize farming in Malawi? MaSSP Policy Note 49. Lilongwe, Malawi: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.136710.
spellingShingle smallholders
poverty
farmers
agricultural cooperatives
inputs
prices
agricultural products
farm equipment
land
commercialization
development
Davis, Kristin E.
Kazembe, Cynthia
Benson, Todd
De Weerdt, Joachim
Duchoslav, Jan
Can cooperatives commercialize farming in Malawi?
title Can cooperatives commercialize farming in Malawi?
title_full Can cooperatives commercialize farming in Malawi?
title_fullStr Can cooperatives commercialize farming in Malawi?
title_full_unstemmed Can cooperatives commercialize farming in Malawi?
title_short Can cooperatives commercialize farming in Malawi?
title_sort can cooperatives commercialize farming in malawi
topic smallholders
poverty
farmers
agricultural cooperatives
inputs
prices
agricultural products
farm equipment
land
commercialization
development
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131414
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AT deweerdtjoachim cancooperativescommercializefarminginmalawi
AT duchoslavjan cancooperativescommercializefarminginmalawi