Malawi Milk Producers Association (MMPA)

I am working with the MMPA, which is an umbrella group of 3 milk producer associations in Malawi. We have been advocating to ammend the milk act in Malawi which was written when there were 5 large state run dairies and now they just protect a oligopoly of privately owned dairies. However, the majority of people cannot afford that processed milk consuming an average of about 6 litres a year, despite the surplus of milk being produced in some areas of Malawi. This surplus is often wasted because 80% of the population cannot afford to shop in the ‘formal sector’ at super markets and the ‘middle class’ in Malawi is not growing. If we change the policies that protect these monopolies and allow the informal sector to thrive more small holder dairy farmers will have access to emerging markets in the poorer areas. Producing milk that is affordable to the poor and promoting a culture that drinks milk would have significant impacts on a country that suffers food insecurity and malnutrition. For example, 53% of children have stunted growth due to malnutrition and Malawi continues to lose productive power in the labour force as the 12% with HIV/AIDS, including people taking ARV’s require more energy in order to have the strength to work.

Counter arguments are about health and safety; however, there are many factors that complement the informal market including the fact that Malawi has a culture of boiling milk even when it is pasteurized and boiling just as if not more effective at killing disease than pasteurization does. The pasteurized milk is collected from the small holder farmers that would be producing for informal sector so you can’t complain about the source and one is more likely to give a cow TB than to contract it through milk.

I’ll give you more information as it develops.

Stop Stunting

I am pretty used to being the 6 foot baby giraffe towering over everyone, but I do find many Malawians to be particularly short.  I also started noticing public health posters to “stop stunting” all over town. I read that 53% of children have stunted growth due to malnutrition. The main meal here is “nshima” which is corn with all the nutrients smashed out of it and turned into “Miele Meal”, which is then mixed with boiling water and ends up looking a lot like mashed potatoes. At lunch they give you huge portions with a little bit of relish (vegetables), and maybe some local chicken or fish. You use your hands to roll it into a little ball and dip it into the relish. Not very healthy. A lot of the work we do at the VSO Malawi office has cross cutting themes that promote better nutrition and diversifying diets which are vital components of improving food security, securing livelihoods in agriculture, increasing educational levels and improving the quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS.

What brings me to Malawi you ask?

 

Originally, I was recruited by Cuso International to work as a Knowledge Management Advisor for their Making Markets Work for the Poor (MMW4P) initiative funded by Accenture in Nigeria.  I was stoked to be moving to the “Hollywood of Africa’, but  in reaction to the Christmas Bombings, petrol riots and escalating violence throughout the country, I ended up backing out at the last minute.

Luckily, there were 5 of Knowledge Management positions available including positions in Tanzania, Cambodia, Guyana and Malawi. I was fortunate enough to be posted to Malawi instead. You never know where you will end up until your soles have touched the soil of that place. For instance, last year I applied for a job with Mines Action Canada (MAC) in Cambodia, I thought for sure I had it and then they called me saying was not selected for the Cambodia position but would I want to go to Zambia? I was so disappointed and I didn’t even want to go because I thought I knew all about southern Africa already because my father lives in South Africa and has brought me on many tours. But I ended up taking the position anyway and I fell in madly in love with Zambia.