ICL has extensive experience in agri-services, including technical advisement, both in Malawi, as well as throughout the region. One of its strengths in agriculture is its variety of key partnerships with agricultural stakeholders in Malawi including, but not limited to: FES, TNP, Bonsucro, and African Parks. ICL has the capacity to assist in both large, and small-scale interventions, applying best practices advisement to a variety of technical agricultural situations.

 

ICL provides agri-services in three key areas: agri-finance, certification, and agronomy. ICL provides technical advice in the areas of agro-processing, agriculture management, agriculture investment and development, farm management, best agricultural practices, soil management, certifications, and other agronomic advice.

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Featured Projects:

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PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP) - Climate Change Research Amongst Female Tea Growers (2022)

PwC and ETP, under the FCDO’s Work and Opportunities for Women Programme (WOW), entrusted Imani to conduct research on the impacts of climate change on female tea growers in Thyolo and Mulanje districts, with special attention to climate resilience and adaptation. Imani conducted a series of participatory workshops and key informant interviews to gauge the effects of climate change across three domains (tea sector, household, and community levels), as well as assessing general risk/vulnerability and recommending strategies for adaptation and mitigation. The final report, published by FCDO, can be accessed here.

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Fairtrade Africa - Technical Support to the RECOVER Africa Project (2021)

Fairtrade Africa engaged Imani to carry out a qualitative study to help identify suitable agricultural income diversification opportunities for tea and sugarcane producers in Malawi. Imani developed and translated all data collection tools, conducted FGDs with Fairtrade-certified smallholder producers, engaged relevant stakeholders (both private sector, NGO, and district level government officials) for KIIs, and analysed all data to provide a comprehensive report including value chain mapping, market assessments, and recommendations. Results were validated with Fairtrade Africa to inform Fairtrade’s future investment in the target population and agricultural activities.

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International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) - Empowering Producers in Commercial Agriculture [EPIC] (2021)

EPIC aims to empower rural producers and their wider communities to influence public decisions and private sector conduct in favour of bottom-up, locally beneficial and more sustainable investments in commercial agriculture. Role included creating a feasibility report to assess the potential of expanding into four commercial value chains: banana, dairy farming, beans, and/or Irish potatoes. Feasibility reporting was informed by field FGDs with smallholder farmers belonging to an association in Thyolo, Malawi, as well as consultations with institutional stakeholders including Satemwa Tea Estate and the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP). Results were presented to EPIC through a combination of reporting and validation workshops. Imani provided technical advising and MEL support to EPIC across its implementation period, including technical advising and administrative support for the resulting pilot programme for beekeeping amongst the Msuwadzi tea growers association.