Karen Smith

International development consultant specialising in private sector development: inclusive business, market systems and innovation funds. Co-Founder & Director of Smallholdr, an inclusive software as a service (SAAS) business based on a mobile app and web-based management system which enables the collection and management of smallholder and farming processes data and work-plan based management of extension teams.

  • Extensive experience managing large scale projects and teams in both public and private sectors for over 25 years.
  • Highly analytical and strategic thinker with excellent verbal, written and visual communication skills.
  • Seven years international development experience in Malawi and consultancies in Nigeria and Bangladesh covering a broad range of markets including agriculture, renewable energy and the business enabling environment.
  • Delivers high quality support and advice to a wide range of clients including national and international businesses, bilateral donors, government agencies and development programmes
  • Currently the Project Delivery Lead for the Business Innovation Facility (BIF) Business Partnerships Fund and Technical Adviser on the Company-led Window.

The GOAL of finding sustainable smallholder market linkages

Zambia
Sub-Saharan Africa
20. Nov 2012

Last Monday BIF Malawi invited participants from the NGO and private sector communities for a workshop in Lilongwe, many of whom have been involved in BIF activities to date and have a strong interest in inclusive business. The event was designed to debate partnering in the agribusiness sector but also to facilitate networking and illustrate some relevant and innovative projects.

I just wanted to reflect on the very real need for this debate as illustrated by a meeting Georgina and I had the very next day with GOAL to discuss their plans for improving livelihoods of their farmer groups in Nsanje. GOAL’s initial aim for their project was to achieve food security, which they have managed by introducing treadle pump irrigation to 6 sets 30Ha of farmer plots to date, each plot typically being 0.2Ha in size. The farmers chose to just grow maize in the first instance, which is entirely understandable given that it is the staple crop in Malawi. They have also been encouraged to diversify a little for nutrition purposes. The farmers now grow two crops of maize per year and are producing more than enough to ensure they are food secure.

GOAL now wish to take the farmers to the ”next level” by introducing cash crops on approximately 20% of their land – but how do they choose which crops and how do they make sure there is a strong, consistent market for them? GOAL has an Nsanje-focussed value chain analysis conducted earlier this year but it doesn’t tell them the whole story. Is contract farming the way to go? Should they approach some of the Blantyre processors to do a deal and if so how would the farmers manage that relationship? A key point that arose on Monday is that NGOs should only be facilitators in the value chain, not actors. One idea Georgina suggested was to have a lead farmer who managed the crop sales on behalf of a group of 20-30 farmers. This individual could take a percentage of the sales profit to reflect his (or her) role. However, introducing new social structures into communities needs to be thoughtfully handled.

GOAL needs to build the capacity of the Nsanje farmers to be able to exit to leave a sustainable solution in place. This process can take years to deliver effectively and many donor programmes do not have such lengthy timescales. GOAL are at least fortunate to have secured four years of funding but it will still be challenging to create a sustainable model in this period. BIF will be “watching this space” (and helping where they can) to see what decisions GOAL take on how best to help their smallholders to generate income and become more than subsistence farmers.