Some grain rots in poorly ventilated storage. Some is eaten by pests. Some is damaged during drying or transportation before it ever reaches the market.

For many smallholder farmers in Malawi, the losses do not happen in the field. They happen afterwards.

Now, a new initiative is giving some farmers hope that this cycle could begin to change.

The National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi (NASFAM), in partnership with Opportunity International and with funding from AGRA, has launched the Post-Harvest Loss Reduction for Improved Farmer Livelihoods in Malawi project, known as PRIME.

The three-year initiative is targeting maize and soya farmers in Mchinji, Nkhotakota, Lilongwe and Mzimba districts, with the aim of improving post-harvest handling, storage systems and market access for about 165,000 farmers.

For a country where food insecurity remains deeply tied to agricultural performance, the stakes are high.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Malawi loses between 20% and 30% of its crop produce after harvest due to poor storage, pests and weak handling systems. Maize, the country’s staple food, is among the hardest hit.

In some farming communities, studies show farm-level losses can range from 5% to 12% per crop depending on how produce is handled after harvesting.

Those losses matter even more this year.

Malawi is already facing growing concern over projected low agricultural yields during the 2026 farming season, driven partly by erratic weather patterns and wider climate pressures.

In rural households where food stocks often determine survival through the lean season, preserving what has already been harvested is becoming almost as important as increasing production itself.

Inside Chilimunthaka Club under Mlonyeni Association in Mchinji, farmer Brandina Kamadzi says the project has already begun to change how she thinks about her harvest.

“I used to lose a lot of my harvest because I didn’t know the right way to dry and store it,” she says.

“This time, I have learned better methods and I look forward to seeing the difference.”

The changes may sound simple, but agricultural specialists say they can have a major impact.

Under the PRIME project, farmers are being trained in improved drying methods, timely harvesting practices and the use of hermetic storage technologies designed to protect grain from moisture and pests.

The project is also promoting better warehouse management and post-harvest handling systems aimed at reducing avoidable losses.

For many farmers, access has long been part of the problem. Technologies that reduce losses often remain out of reach because of cost.

Stewart Paul Mapemba, PRIME Project Coordinator at NASFAM, says the project is trying to bridge that gap through subsidies and financing support.

“Farmers invest a lot of money and labour in the field,” he says.

“Our goal is to make sure that investment doesn’t get lost in storage. If grain is dried and stored properly, they can sell more, sell better and feed their families longer.”

To encourage adoption, the programme is offering registered farmers discounts of up to 25% on tarpaulins used for drying crops.

Farmer groups can also receive discounts of up to 30% when purchasing threshers and shellers or when refurbishing warehouses.

For groups unable to raise the remaining costs, NASFAM is facilitating loan access through banks including FDH and NBS.

The intervention reflects a broader challenge facing Malawi’s agricultural economy.

For years, policy discussions have focused heavily on increasing production, fertiliser access and seed distribution.

But experts say post-harvest management has often remained neglected despite quietly eroding both food security and farmer incomes.

Agricultural expert Leonard Chimwaza says that neglect has carried major economic consequences.

“Post-harvest losses have long undermined food security and farmer incomes,” he says.

Reducing those losses, he argues, could produce immediate benefits for rural households by increasing the amount of grain available for both consumption and sale.

In difficult agricultural seasons, that buffer can determine whether a family survives comfortably or slips deeper into vulnerability.

In practical terms, less wasted grain means more food stored at home, more produce reaching the market and better returns for farmers already operating on narrow margins.

It also changes the psychology of farming itself.

For smallholder farmers, repeated losses after harvest can discourage investment and weaken confidence in agriculture as a viable livelihood.

Better storage and handling systems create stronger incentives to produce more because farmers have a better chance of actually benefiting from what they grow.

That issue is particularly urgent in districts like Mchinji, where farming remains the backbone of household economies.

The PRIME project is currently being implemented in Chisya, Mkanda, Mikundi and Mlonyeni, now under Bua Agriculture Extension Planning Area, targeting around 27,119 farmers. So far, about 7,004 have already registered.

The numbers may seem modest against the scale of Malawi’s agricultural challenges. But in communities where one poor storage season can wipe out months of effort, even small improvements carry weight.

Across Malawi, climate shocks are making farming increasingly unpredictable. Rains arrive late or end too early.

Pest outbreaks continue to threaten yields. Input prices remain high. Against that backdrop, reducing post-harvest losses is emerging not just as a technical issue, but as a survival strategy.

And for farmers like Brandina Kamadzi, the hope is straightforward: keep more of what they have already worked so hard to produce.

Because in Malawi’s fragile rural economy, saving the harvest may now matter just as much as growing it.

Source - https://africabrief.substack.com