Bakili wants agricultural fertilizer to solve a persistent problem caused by poverty -- food insecurity. For most farmers, applying high quality fertilizer to hybrid seeds, will significantly increase yields.

Community Problem: Like most of Malawi, Bakili struggles to grow enough food. This is due to climate change, cyclical weather patters like El Nino, and a lack of access to affordable, high-quality farm inputs like fertilizer. As the foundation of the Malawian economy, agriculture affects everything. Most Malawians experience a hungry season each year, when food stocks run low and families are forced to skip meals. Bad growing years extend the hungry season and drive people deeper into poverty. Bakili has used manure from its Village X-funded goat herd to improve maize yields, but the manure is not enough. Fertilizer is needed to significantly increase agricultural productivity. While the Malawian government subsidizes fertilizer for some famliles, many others are left out.

Community Solution: Loan Bakili the money to obtain high-quality fertilizer before the growing season begins in November. Smallholder farmers in Bakili will receive this fertilizer directly from the factory, receiving a good price that cuts out middlemen and opportunistic government officials. The fertilizer will help ensure a good growing season, with excess food sold to pay for education, and heath care. Bakili will pay back the loan over the course of the year, and we will rollover those repayments into next year's agricultural loan, making this project a sustainable gift that keeps on giving.

Partners: generous donors and Bakili Village, Mulanje, Malawi

Outcome: fertilizer for the food growing season