Project Title: Seeds of Resilience: Building Women-Owned Legume Seed Systems in Malawi

Location: Malawi

Grant Amount: $45,000

Grantee Website: www.sharedinterest.org

Areas of Impact: Economic Sustainability, Environmental Sustainability & Climate Action, Gender Equality, Health

Mission of Shared Interest
Shared Interest mobilizes the resources for Southern Africa’s economically disenfranchised communities to sustain themselves and build equitable nations.

Project Summary
This project addresses the dire shortage of quality seed, which contributes to ongoing, poor agricultural productivity, malnutrition, and soil degradation among Malawian smallholder farmers. The grant will help women entrepreneurs and smallholder farmers multiply and distribute climate-resilient, protein-rich legume seed to increase farmer productivity and improve livelihoods.

Why We Love This Project
We love Shared Interest’s focus on breaking the cycle of poor quality seed and its role in the ‘subsistence agriculture trap’ that prevents many Malawian women farmers from lifting themselves out of poverty. By focusing on the availability of high quality seeds, and loans from commercial banks, Shared Interest works to support a previously unbankable group of farmers towards higher incomes, sustainable futures, and healthier families.