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

Presently when groundnut purchases are delivered to NASFAM’s central store, samples
are taken for aflatoxin testing at NASFAM’s laboratory. International standards require that
independently taken samples are analysed by internationally accredited laboratories. At
present the Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) is not yet accredited, so samples are taken by
SGS, an international company that specialises in inspection, testing and certification services.
Samples are then sent to laboratories in either Kenya or South Africa.
Having successfully established a system for monitoring quality, NASFAM has worked with
FairTrade to use their certification label. To qualify for use of this label, FairTrade analyse the
value chain from production to market, and provided producers are receiving a fair price will
pay a premium over and above market price. This requires an annual independent audit of
governance and accounts to ensure continued use of the label. The Mchinji Area Smallholder
Farmers’ Association was the first NASFAM Association to have been certified by FairTrade. As
a result of satisfying the export market criteria, NASFAM has been able to partner with Twin
Trading a UK-based company that each March indicates its annual groundnut requirements.
Required supplies are purchased and transported by container to Beira, in Mozambique for
shipment to UK. In UK, Twin Trading blanches the groundnuts, a process for roasting and skin
removal. A company called Liberation jointly owned by Twin Trading and smallholder farmers
in Africa, India and South America undertakes the UK marketing to Sainsburys, Tesco and other
supermarkets. Groundnuts from NASAFAM farmers are now widely available in supermarket
outlets throughout Europe, and Malawi farmers are major beneficiaries.
Achievements. The partnership has resulted in:
• Increased productivity of groundnuts through providing improved varieties and
management practices leading to increased yields and reduced aflatoxin contamination
• Introduction of a system of grades and standards that allow participation in regional and
international markets
• Introduction of a traceability system so that the areas where aflatoxins remain a problem
can be easily identified
• Development a high-value market for smallholder-produced groundnuts in Europe, from
which groundnut producers of Clubs within the Mchinjii Smallholder Farmers’ Association
have been able to benefit from FairTrade labelling of their product. This has resulted
in a premium being paid over and above market prices, which has funded community
development projects, thus benefitting the communities from which the groundnuts were
purchased.
Key success factors. New knowledge from research is only one component required to
encourage innovation in agriculture. Addressing other constraints, including access to
information, appropriate inputs and management practices, credit, and markets supported
by appropriate policy and institutional environments can create an effective demand for
appropriate research products. This includes new and improved crop varieties, better ways of
managing pests and diseases, and more effective management practices.
52 Agricultural Innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa