Center for Agricultural Transformation (CAT)
Cooperative Development Organisation
Implementing Partners and Organisations
Period of Implementation
Geographic scope
Africa: Malawi
Budget
Donor(s)
Bilateral Aid: Global Affairs Canada, UKAID, USAID, Australian Government
Foundations: Foundation for a Smoke Free World
Multilateral Aid: World Bank Group
Sector(s)
Type of Activity
Summary
Venture37 and our partners are working to establish the CAT as a Center of Excellence for diversification in Malawi. This is done through opening, strengthening and expanding ready markets that are an alternative to tobacco markets. We focus on value addition businesses that source raw materials from SHFs and partner with identified businesses and provide seed capitol and targeted technical assistance to both the SME and their allied farmers. We also help to expedite the adoption of new and proven technologies through trials and comparison plots at the CAT SmartFarm where we bring together industry and farmers to demonstrate GAP and new technologies to support adoption. Further, to help businesses or farmers answer tough questions, we leverage our university consortium to conduct practical assessments and research and get insights into the hands of farmers: e.g., the CAT is a bridge between academia and the farmers we serve. Finally, we are investing into “data solutions” in partnership with our consortium members and now offer remote sensing and market investment tools that our partners can utilize for critical planting, market and investment decisions.
Project Objectives
To help tobacco SHFs diversify away from tobacco production and into alternate value chains through the creation of read-markets outside of tobacco.
Impact on SDGs
Main Indicators
2) # of hectares under production of new alternatives to tobacco
3) % increase in farmer income
4) % increase in revenue of supported businesses
Impact Measurement
Direct beneficiaries
Organisations: 30
Individuals: 60000