Transforming Agriculture Through Diversification and Entrepreneurship (TRADE) Programme

What Transforming Agriculture Through Diversification and Entrepreneurship (TRADE) Programme does

The Transforming Agriculture Through Diversification and Entrepreneurship (TRADE) Programme is a six-year government development initiative of the Republic of Malawi, implemented under the Ministry of Local Government Unity and Culture and funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID). Established in 2021/2022 as the successor to the Rural Livelihoods and Economic Enhancement Programme (RLEEP), TRADE operates across 11 districts in Malawi's Northern, Central and Southern regions and 36 Extension Planning Areas (EPAs), targeting seven commodity value chains: beef, dairy, honey, groundnut, sunflower, soybean and Irish potato.

TRADE delivers interventions through three integrated components: (i) the Agriculture Commercialisation Innovation Fund (ACIF), a matching grant facility issuing small grants to Farmer-Based Organisations (MWK 1.87 billion disbursed to 21 FBOs across 7 districts) and large grants to private sector agribusinesses ($6.5 million / K11.37 billion to 17 agribusinesses under a 50/50 co-financing model) under Producer-Public-Private Partnership (4Ps) arrangements; (ii) infrastructure development including roads, bridges, warehouses, milk bulking centres, rural growth market centres, water points and commodity storage facilities; and (iii) technical service provision via 14 contracted NGO service providers offering business coaching, climate-smart agriculture training, and capacity building. Technology components include hydroponic feed systems, biogas conversion of livestock dung, Artificial Insemination services for breed improvement, and a Management Information System (MIS) for programme monitoring.

The programme does not generate commercial revenue. Its core customers are rural smallholder farmers, Farmer-Based Organisations and cooperatives, women farmers, rural youth, and agribusiness partners. Financially, TRADE is sustained by IFAD and OFID concessional financing with Government of Malawi co-financing, and is governed through a Steering Committee, Technical Committee, District Planning Implementation Support Teams (DPIST) and District Desk Officers operating through 11 District Councils.

Name

Transforming Agriculture Through Diversification and Entrepreneurship (TRADE) Programme

Legal name

Transforming Agriculture Through Diversification and Entrepreneurship (TRADE) Programme

Website

https://tradeprogramme.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TRADE is a six-year Malawian government development programme funded by IFAD and OFID that commercialises seven agricultural value chains (beef, dairy, honey, groundnut, sunflower, soybean, Irish potato) across 11 districts, serving rural smallholder farmers, FBOs, and agribusinesses via matching grants, rural infrastructure, and technical services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Development Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511), Farm Product Warehousing and Storage (493130)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support) (BPAGALAL)

Keywords

• Agricultural value chains
• Smallholder commercialization
• Rural development grants
• Farmer capacity building
• Agricultural infrastructure development

Headquarters

HQ city

Lilongwe

HQ country

Malawi

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The TRADE Programme is a government-led agricultural development initiative that commercialises seven commodity value chains (beef, dairy, honey, groundnut, sunflower, soybean, and Irish potato) across 11 districts in Malawi. It delivers matching grants to Farmer-Based Organisations and agribusinesses through the Agriculture Commercialisation Innovation Fund (ACIF), constructs rural infrastructure (roads, bridges, warehouses, milk bulking centres, and Rural Growth Centres), and provides technical services and business coaching to smallholder farmers through contracted NGO service providers.

Product overview

The TRADE Programme is a six-year agricultural development initiative implemented in 11 districts across Malawi, focusing on commercializing seven priority value chains (groundnuts, soybean, sunflower, Irish potato, dairy, beef, and honey). The programme operates through a multi-component approach combining the Agricultural Commercialization Innovation Fund (ACIF) matching grants, infrastructure development (roads, bridges, storage facilities, milk bulking centres), and technical service provision including business coaching. The core model facilitates Producer Public Private Partnerships (4Ps) to connect smallholder farmers to markets, while addressing infrastructure bottlenecks that hinder value chain development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Agriculture Commercialisation Innovation Fund (ACIF): A matching grant facility under TRADE Programme that provides financial support to Farmer-Based Organisations (FBOs) and private sector operators to accelerate agricultural commercialisation through producer-private-public partnerships.

Products and services

• Agriculture Commercialisation Innovation Fund (ACIF) A matching grant facility supporting Farmer-Based Organisations (small grants window) and private-sector agribusinesses (large grants window) to accelerate agricultural commercialisation in seven commodity value chains. Operates under a Producer-Public-Private Partnership (4Ps) model requiring 50/50 co-financing between TRADE and grant recipients.
• Infrastructure Development Services Construction and rehabilitation of rural infrastructure including roads, bridges (e.g. Lirangwe Bridge at MWK 185,650,237.75), commodity warehouses, milk bulking centres (e.g. Chipande 1 at MWK 372,251,964.21), honey aggregation centres, and Rural Growth Market Centres to address value chain bottlenecks in 11 target districts.
• Technical Service Provision Technical support delivered by 14 contracted NGO service providers across all 11 target districts, providing capacity building in agricultural production, value chain development, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, and climate-smart practices for smallholder farmers across the seven commodity value chains (honey in Nkhata-Bay and Rumphi; groundnut in Mchinji, Kasungu, and Lilongwe; soybean in Lilongwe and Dedza; Irish potato in Dedza; beef in Chitipa and Rumphi; sunflower in Ntchisi and Kasungu; dairy in Thyolo and Blantyre).
• Business Coaching Services Business development support for Farmer-Based Organisations to become sustainable commercial entities, delivered through registered business coaches that provide horizontal and vertical linkages to value chain actors.
• Rural Growth Market Centres Multi-purpose market infrastructure providing kiosks, market sheds, warehouses, slaughterhouses, solar-powered water systems, and waste disposal facilities to enhance agricultural commercialisation at community level. The Malembo Rural Growth Centre was built at MWK 3.65 billion to serve 13,967 farming households across soybean, groundnut, and sunflower value chains.

Quantifiable outcome

• Malembo Rural Growth Centre built at MWK 3.65 billion to serve 13,967 farming households
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Government of MalawicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe programme is implemented under the Ministry of Local Government and Unity and Culture. The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development provides oversight and participates in programme activities including infrastructure handovers and grant ceremonies.
• PROCASUR CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPROCASUR Corporation participated in a Learning Route with TRADE Programme focused on disability-inclusive and sustainable rural transformation, visiting programme sites in Thyolo and Blantyre districts.
• SPARK ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPARK Consortium joined PROCASUR and TRADE Programme for a Learning Route on disability-inclusive programming, sharing best practices from SPARK programmes in multiple countries.
• Malawi Bee Products AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTRADE Programme coordinated with the Malawi Bee Products Association to organise a Honey Stakeholders Meeting bringing together beekeepers, aggregators, input suppliers, financiers, and government to improve honey production quality and market access.
• Service Providers (NGOs)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner14 Technical Service Providers (NGOs) were contracted and inducted to implement various programme interventions across all 11 target districts, providing technical expertise for value chain development, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, and enterprise development.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• One Acre Fund: One Acre Fund provides smallholder farmers in Africa with financing, inputs, training, and market access — closely mirroring TRADE's bundled model of grants, technical assistance, and value chain development targeting Malawian smallholders.
• Self Help Africa: Self Help Africa delivers enterprise development and agricultural value chain programmes for smallholders in sub-Saharan Africa, similar to TRADE's combination of grants, business coaching, and cooperative support.
• Heifer International: Heifer International focuses on livestock and smallholder agricultural development through training, asset transfers, and producer organization support — directly comparable to TRADE's dairy and beef value chain interventions including AI services and biogas adoption.
• Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA): AGRA drives agricultural transformation across Africa through grants, capacity building, and value chain investments targeting smallholders — comparable to TRADE's mandate across 7 commodities and 11 districts in Malawi.
• TechnoServe: TechnoServe works with smallholder farmers and agribusinesses in developing countries on value chain commercialization, enterprise development, and market linkages, paralleling TRADE's ACIF matching grants and 4P arrangements with farmer organizations.
• Farm Africa: Farm Africa implements agricultural value chain projects across eastern Africa with smallholder farmers, NGOs, and government partners — directly analogous to TRADE's district council, NGO service provider, and FBO delivery model.
• SNV (Netherlands Development Organisation): SNV works on inclusive agricultural value chains, climate-smart agriculture, and youth/women inclusion across Africa — closely aligned with TRADE's value chain commercialization, CSA adoption, and GALS methodology targeting rural youth and women.
• Catholic Relief Services (CRS): CRS implements donor-funded agricultural development and value chain programmes with farmer cooperatives in Africa, comparable in structure and approach to TRADE's IFAD/OFID-funded FBO grant delivery model.
• Concern Worldwide: Concern Worldwide delivers livelihoods and agricultural programmes with smallholders in fragile economies, including Malawi, with similar focus on value chain development, cooperative strengthening, and climate resilience.

Broad incumbents

• International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD): IFAD is the primary financier of TRADE and operates dozens of similar country programmes globally — making it the institutional incumbent comparable to TRADE at the broader portfolio level rather than as a direct operating competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4I-TRQbiWfEdDvldAXg5ew
• Facebookfacebook.com/strikingly
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/transforming-agriculture-through-diversification-and-entrepreneurship-trade

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Transforming Agriculture Through Diversification and Entrepreneurship (TRADE) Programme