| Development Partners...... Working together for smallholders | | NASFAM enjoys solid partnerships with a variety of development organisations which share NASFAM’s enthusiasm and vision for an empowered smallholder community which plays to the full its critical role in local and national development. | | NASFAM maintains open dialogue with all organizations and activities involved in smallholder farmer and rural development both public and private sector. But NASFAM, from its inception, has been careful to ensure that it remains focused, first and foremost, on putting its core business activities into place. NASFAM's development partnerships and strategic alliances have been built slowly and purposefully and, as NASFAM has grown in its ability to bring resources to the table, it has crafted partnerships and alliances that work for all parties involved. | |
| United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
NASFAM’s roots lie in the USAID-funded Smallholder Agribusiness Development Project, dating back to 1994. USAID has remained NASFAM’s largest donor-supporter since that time, and is currently working with NASFAM on development of improved market linkages and information systems under a three-year co-operative grant. NASFAM is USAID/Malawi’s largest local grantee. | |  | Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD)
NASFAM’s relationship with NORAD commenced in the second half of 2000. NORAD’s interests combine with those of NASFAM under Norway’s Action Plan 2015 for Combating Poverty in the South. Areas of special collaboration include good governance, creation of an enabling economic environment, food security, human resource development, HIV/AIDS and gender inequality. | | NASFAM and USAID’s Strategic Objectives | | NASFAM fits directly into USAID's Strategic Objective 6, “Sustainable Increases in Rural Incomes,” and to Intermediate Result (IR) 6.1, “Agricultural Productivity Increased.” IR 6.1 is measured by two indicators and four sub-IR indicators. NASFAM's contribution to IRs related to volume and value of agricultural product are easy to recognize. | | In addition, within IR 6.1, which places a great deal of emphasis on the importance of competitive sourcing and distribution of fertilizer through the private sector, NASFAM is one of the largest distributors of fertilizer in the country. The SO and IR indicators which are particularly relevant to NASFAM are shown in the box above.
While the majority of NASFAM activities fall most clearly under IR 6.1, NASFAM contributes broadly to SO 6. NASFAM directly contributes to IR 6.2, which targets increases in agriculturally-linked enterprises, through, e.g., set up of association offices and business operations, including farm supply shops and small, non-farm enterprises entered into by association members. NASFAM contributes to IR 6.2 micro-finance objectives by seeking and providing ways for farmer members to access financing for both farm and non-farm uses.
NASFAM supports IR 6.3, USAID's community-based natural resource management initiative through work with its association communities to understand and apply better land use and resource management techniques. Finally NASFAM's efforts are directly relevant to the cross-cutting policy analysis and information network activities fostered by USAID under SO 6, particularly in terms of already extensive work carried out by NASFAM to increase the ability of smallholders to operate as a powerful policy reform constituency and to contribute to national food security efforts. | | SO 6 Indicators Most Relevant to NASFAM | 6a:
| Per capita consumption and expenditure in rural areas | | 6b: | Total amount of additional household income that can be directly attributed to USAID activities | | 6.1a: | Value of agricultural products marketed by farmers' associations | | 6.1b: | Average price paid for fertilizer by farmers | | 6.1.1a | Membership in farmers' associations (M/F) | | 6.1.1b | Tonnage of agricultural products marketed through farmer associations |
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