Farmer-to-Farmer is a USAID-funded initiative, which sends American agricultural/agribusiness experts to developing countries to offer technical assistance to our host organizations. These trips are volunteer-based, but all trip-related expenses are covered by CNFA, and typically last between two and three weeks.
Chisitu Cassava Pre-cooperative was formed last year in Malawi. The group is comprised of five small farmer clubs namely: Zikomo, Zatonse, Talandira, Mwaiwathu and Chisomo. Chisitu Cassava Pre-cooperative has a total of 60.7 hectares of land in which they grow soybean and pigeon peas.
The majority of the farmers have never received formal training on soybean and/or pigeon pea farming, or on obtaining and using certified seed. This is because farmers have prioritized other crops in the past, however, in the recent years, the rising demand of legumes has encouraged farmers to venture into soybean and pigeon pea farming. The host has therefore requested for a Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer to train them on best soybean and pigeon peas farming techniques. The training will involve the general management of soybean and pigeon pea crops starting from land preparation to harvesting. The training will be both practical and theoretical.