Thursday was an Open Day for MFT and it was a great way to round off this trip to Malawi. We invited seed companies and Farm Supply Companies to join us in a day where our staff shared their “secrets of success” with farmers. We targeted those farmers who have shown the most enthusiasm to adapt to modern farming techniques and over 100 attended on the day.

Participants had great questions for our expert panel

There are no secrets really: the mission of Malawi Fruits and MFT is to empower small-scale farmers through modern farming technology, access to quality farm inputs and connections to markets. We are delighted to share all that we have learned and developed and to see more and more farmers adopting better practices. It was very encouraging for me to see the high regard in which our team are held, and the hunger for new ideas and resources.

We began MFT in 2017 – only 5 years ago – so we could deliver the work of Malawi Fruits in a more respectful way to farmers. We wanted to talk business, not charitable help. In those 5 years we’ve had a global pandemic and now an economic crisis, and yet this Open Day buzzed with energy and enthusiasm, and it was easy to see how respected the staff team is and what a great reputation we have. Malawi Broadcasting Corporation sent their film crew for the whole day and so the message is getting out to the whole country. We have no secrets – we want to share everything so that everyone can learn and develop because there is a growing population to feed in Malawi and there are many opportunities to farm in better ways.

Some readers of this blog (of a certain age!) will also know the song, “It is no secret what God can do…” Sometimes I stand back and review the journey we have been on and I have no other explanation for the growth and development we are seeing.

No blog is complete without a gratuitous picture to show how good our tomatoes are!