What we do - SANEWOPA

Where We Work

Learn more about our geographic coverage

Current Presence

In our first year of operation, we are pionnerring the SANEWOPA model in Malawi as a proof of concept. Lessons learned from Malawi will inform expansion of the network to other countries.

In Malawi, SANEWOPA has offices in Mzuzu, Lilongwe and Blantyre. Each office serves as a hub for engaging SANEWOPA members in the Northern, Central and Southern regions of Malawi respectively.

Expansion in Progress

In the course of Year 1, SANEWOPA will develop a strategy for expanding the network across Sub-Saharan Africa. We anticipate using a phased approach to expand across seven operational regions shown below:

Why Malawi

One of the most common questions we get is – why did we choose Malawi as our pioneer country to establish a national chapter?

There is a host of reasons why we decided to start in Malawi:

We love Malawi – the founder and co-founders have worked in Malawi and fell in love with the country.
Agriculture is of very high strategic importance to the economy and development of Malawi. This means the potential for impact is very high.
Malawi is keenly seeking to drive agriculture commercialization. This is a key pillar of the agriculture development strategy for the country.
Alternatives to Tobacco. Tobacco was Malawi’s main agricultural export for many years but the market for it has dwindled in recent years. This has left the country desperate to find alternative exports and hence there is a great enabling environment for agripreneurship.
Epicenter of the Southern Africa region – Malawi is strategically located at the heart of Southern Africa which is a strategic region for SANEWOPA’s Mission given the changing demographics of farm ownership in the region.
Demand for SANEWOPA services – we found a vibrant community of working professionals who are side hustle farmers and want to grow their farming into viable commercial enterprise.

Our Programs

Learn more about the kind of programs we implement

SANEWOPA programs are designed to meet the priority needs of working professionals as emerging commercial farmers.

Our focus is to help working professionals grow to become successful agriprenuers by enabling them to:

Network with peers so they can learn from each other and explore opportunities for collaboration
Learn – improve their knowledge and skills about sustainable agriprenuership
Access productivity-enhancing tools and resources that are essential for sustainable agripreneurship
Forge linkages with market actors to enhance access to products and services that are essential for sustainable agriprenuership
Engage with development organizations that promote sustainable agripreneurship
Drive the agenda and participate in research on sustainable agriprenuership
Influence policy to ensure a favorable enabling environment for emerging agriprenuers

Capacity-building programs are delivered through a combination of adult-centered learning methodologies including coaching and mentoring, learning visits, and virtual interactive webinars.

SANEWOPA national chapters work collaboratively with stakeholders across the board including private sector companies, government agencies, researchers, and non-governmental organizations to address sustainable agripreneurship needs for our members. A sample of our current programs is presented below:

Farm Business Planning Program

Majority of working professionals within our network operate without a business plan.

Under this program, our Sustainable Agripreneurship Advisors (SAAs) working with individuals to help them come up with a vision for their farming enterprise and develop a business plan for achieving success

The SAAs meet weekly with participants for coaching sessions as they work to complete their business plan.

Farm Financing Program

Successfully tranisitioning from a small scale farmer to an established commercial farmer requires access to finance.

It requires working closely with a financial instituion to establish a credit history and pre-qualify for various financial products.

Under this program, SANEWOPA is working with financial instituions in Malawi to develop tailored products for working professionals who farm on the side.

We are also working with our members to help them set up financial management systems for their farms that will position them to be more creditworthy.

Farm Manager Capacity Program

One of the most common challenges that working professionals face is how to effectively manage their farms remotely given that they often work in urban areas and their farms are in rural areas.

Our members struggle to get qualified farm managers due to limited capacity in the labor market and a mismatch of demanded versus available skillsets.

SANEWOPA is working with members to train farm managers on professionalizing their services.

Most farm managers have a strong background in production but have limited knowledge of holistic farm management.

SANEWOPA is helping fill gaps in farm management expertise for emerging commercial farmers.

SUSTAINABLE AGRIPRENUERSHIP NETWORK FOR WORKING PROFESSIONALS IN AFRICA