Sarah Kachedwa, Chairperson of Kabudula Rural Women Cooperative, proudly shares her amazement at a recent tenfold increase in yield thanks to YEFFA’s investment.
Sarah explains, “This season alone, we’ve already sold 104 metric tons of soybeans, and we expect to sell 400 metric tons of soybeans, 500 metric tons of maize, and 25 metric tons of sunflower by the season’s end. These are numbers we never thought possible before.”
Previously, the cooperative farmed without any techniques or proper planning. Kabudula Rural Women Cooperative started as a small farmers’ group with declining membership. “Many members had left when we first registered as a cooperative,” Sarah recalls. “They didn’t understand what buying shares meant. But through the YEFFA project, we received training that helped everyone understand the value of investing in our future.”
In March 2025, through the YEFFA-supported Trade Facilitation Platform in Dowa, the cooperative met directly with buyers and suppliers, closing a gap that had once left rural women farmers dependent on middlemen and low prices.
“We used to sell to vendors for K1,700 ($1) per kg,” Sarah explains. “But one of our members recently sold 14 bags of soybeans at K2,140 ($1.20) per kg through AVC, a buyer we met through the project. She earned over K1 million ($560).”
During the same meeting, Sarah Kachedwa confidently represented Kabudula Cooperative in bilateral talks with Sunseed Oil Company Limited, one of the largest soya offtakers in Malawi. From this meeting, Kabudula Cooperative secured a commitment to supply 400 metric tons of soybeans and 550 metric tons of maize in the 2024/2025 season — an unprecedented achievement for the group.
By adopting sustainable policies and improving market linkages, we empower rural women farmers on issues of food security, economic justice, and social equity, ultimately unlocking the full potential of Africa’s agricultural economy.