Central Dairy Scale Up

Central Dairy Scale Up

Central Dairy Scale-Up Project (CDSP) is a DFID funded consortium of Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM), Heifer International-Malawi and The Civil Society Agriculture Network (CISANET) with Heifer Malawi being the main implementing partner. The project is designed to enhance productivity, efficiency and sustainability of dairy industry in central Malawi by addressing challenges facing the sector. These challenges are threefold and intertwined: Firstly, challenges are encountered at producer level where there is low production of milk and lack of bulking and chilling facilities. Secondly, there are challenges at the processor level where processors complain of low supply of crude milk from farmers hence not able to meet the demand. Lastly, there is low consumption of milk by the general population with average milk consumption being the lowest in the SADC region.

Project Impact

The project is designed to enhance efficiency, productivity and proficiency of the dairy industry, resulting in income increase and employment benefits for small holder producers and increased access to safe nutritional dairy products for low income consumers.

Project Goal

The project’s goal is to contribute “to improving the Malawi dairy sector productivity, efficiency and sustainability”

Project Outcome

Improve the livelihoods of 6,000 small holder dairy farmers’ households in the Central Region of Malawi.

Project Outputs

The project has the following outputs:

Output 1:Â Targeted smallholder farmers achieve and sustain increased quantity of milk.

Output 2:Â Targeted smallholder farmers improve access to business support services and inputs including feeds, Artificial Insemination and savings and credit.

Output 3:Â Targeted milk bulking groups improve capacity to bulk, chill and market milk and effectively represent the interests of the members.

Output 4:Â Support increase and consumption of dairy products particularly in the rural areas.

Output 5:Â Producer associations actively engage in evidence based advocacy to improve legislation governing the dairy sector and product pricing.

Target Group and Beneficiary Selection

The project targets smallholder dairy farmers in three districts of central Malawi. These districts are; Lilongwe, Dowa and Mchinji. The aim is to target farmers who have local breeds and provide artificial insemination services to improve the genotypes. In addition, business support services like; extension, feed formulation and veterinary services will be provided to the beneficiaries. This will enhance quality and quantity of milk yields. Furthermore, through milk bulking groups, the project will support construction and installation of bulking houses and chilling facilities respectively to enable the targeted farmers to bulk and chill their milk to reduce spoilage.

FUM’s Role under the Project

Activities of FUM under the project are centered on Output 3 which is mainly involved with improving the capacity of targeted Milk Bulking Groups to bulk, chill and market milk and effectively represent the interests of the members. To achieve this output, FUM has the following activities:

  1. Support construction of three chilling houses
  2. Support procurement and installation of three milk chilling tanks
  3. Building the governance capacity of MBGs and CREMAP
  4. Mainstream gender in the leadership of producer associations
  5. Installation of three water points at the milk bulking facilities
  6. Facilitate exchange visits among MBGs
  7. Support graduation of MBGs and CREMPA into dairy cooperatives and cooperative union respectively.

Milestones

  1. FUM has by now achieved the following activities:
  2. Introduced the project concept to the beneficiaries
  3. Conducted a reconnaissance survey to all the target areas to conduct capacity needs assessment in areas of governance, good leadership and gender mainstreaming
  4. Had an interface meeting with implementing partners
  5. Had a high level meeting with the Board Members of CREMPA to highlight the project concept
  6. Identified competent contractor and supplier of the chilling houses and chilling tanks respectively.
  7. Identified beneficiary milk bulking groups for the construction works
  8. Trained leaders (chairman, secretary and treasurer) of all the targeted milk bulking groups (10) in areas of good governance and gender mainstreaming. The total number of trained leaders is 30.
  9. Facilitated a learning and exchange visit of some board members of CREMPA to SHMPA in the southern region
  10. Organized beneficiary MBGs to mobilize resources (sand, quarry stone & bricks) for the construction project