Feed the Future Initiative Offering Malawi Growth Poles Activity Grant

The purpose of this activity is to accelerate environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable, resilient, and more inclusive wealth generation in Malawi by mobilizing rural-based private sector investments and partnerships with anchor firms and their surrounding communities, smallholder organizations, cooperatives, and MSMEs in a growth pole approach, with a youth and gender lens. It will build on the strong foundation of early growth pole development established by the FTF Agricultural Diversification (AgDiv) activity.

The concept of a growth pole is a location centered around anchor firms that have internal economies of scale, provide a sustainable motor for growth, and can deliver positive benefits for surrounding areas; these may also center on a specific industry hub, or a geographic location like a municipality, or a specific value chain region. In Malawi, growth poles will be developed and strengthened with and through anchor firms (or several firms) that have long-term business strategies that are inherently inclusive (incorporate smallholder farmers, for example) and climate-positive and resilient (dependent on improved soil and watershed health), with robust environment, social and governance (ESG) strategies, and existing hard and soft infrastructure, that have a need of partnerships that can catalyze economic growth, resilience, and inclusivity results. Most companies in Malawi that fit this concept operate in the agricultural, food, energy, forestry, agroforestry and/or tourism sectors.