agrl_innovations_in_ssa.pdf?utm_content=buffercb41d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

smallholder farmers in the Shire Valley, along Lake Malawi shore areas and dry districts. Linkages
and added value of cotton products include cotton textiles and garments, oil extraction from
cotton seed, production of animal feed using cotton seedcake and the manufacture of such
finished goods as clothes, blankets, twine and surgical products. An additional 700 000 people
outside agriculture are involved.
Initial challenges. Problems faced by the sector have included well below potential yields,
poorly resourced extension, use of recycled cotton seed, poor organisation of cotton farmers,
low prices – with disagreements between farmers and ginners on prices often causing conflict
with Government who set minimum prices. These have resulted in misunderstandings and
distrust between stakeholders, with the sector performing increasingly poorly and major
international stakeholders disinvesting.
Innovation triggers. Recognising a need to strengthen public–private partnerships across a
number of sectors including coffee, cotton, sugar, and tea, AICC Malawi initiated a process
of consultation to establish common ground and build links between public and private
sectors with initial support from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
(GIZ) This included initiatives to build trust and partnerships between the private sector,
donors, government and civil society to promote agri-business models that would contribute
to achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Malawi. To support the initiatives in the
cotton industry, RIU in Malawi provided additional support, facilitating increased dialogue
between stakeholders, culminating in a workshop during 2008 to identify the challenges and
opportunities facing the cotton sector. As a result stakeholders formed the CDT comprised of
all the value-chain actors with AICC appointed as a secretariat to support CDT activities with
funding from RIU-Malawi, NORAD and the stakeholders themselves.
CDT aims to create a competitive and sustainable integrated cotton sector contributing to national
economic growth that benefits all stakeholders through a vibrant cotton industry supplying
increased volumes of high-quality cotton and related value-added products to domestic and
international markets through the collaborative efforts of all players in the value chain.
Stakeholder interactions and interventions. CDT provided a forum of all the key players
along the cotton value chain, including farmers, farmer organisations, input suppliers,
ginners, spinners, textile manufacturers, garment manufacturers, oil manufacturers, financial
institutions and Government departments. CDT has a Board of Trustees comprising a
Chairperson, Chairpersons from four thematic groups, the Permanent Secretary for Agriculture
in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MoA&FS), the Executive Director of the
Farmers’ Union of Malawi (FUM) and three others from the public and private sectors. The
four thematic groups comprise:
Research, extension and production. Responsible for promoting research to recommend
specific varieties for specific areas, improve farmer access to certified seed and other improved
management practices, ensure an effective seed multiplication system and enhance technology
dissemination.
Marketing and pricing. Responsible for analysing all aspects of cotton marketing, exploring
new marketing arrangements, providing information to partners and creating a platform for
The case studies: Southern Africa 47