With enough food, farmers have more choices
Walk through Jenifa Goliath’s homestead today in Malawi’s Zomba District, and you will see a thriving farm, with maize, groundnuts, and okra growing alongside young mango and avocado trees. Chicken also roam around the compound. After a successful harvest last year, Jenifa bought three chicks which have since grown into a flock of twelve. In the early mornings, two of her three children leave for school each day.
For 29 year old Jenifa, these are signs of how much things have changed.
Together with her husband, Elias Sambani, they have always worked hard to provide for their family. Farming is their main source of food and livelihood. But when Jenifa first began, she experienced challenges. She struggled to access quality farm supplies and relied on older farming methods, compromising her harvests.
"I was using old ways, like planting three seeds in one hole. Because of this and using poor quality seeds, my harvests were bad year after year. During the lean season [October to March], we often had to choose between eating lunch or dinner because we simply did not have enough.”
According to the UN, an estimated 645 million people, which accounts for around 7.8% of the global population, experienced hunger in 2025. While this was a global decline from 8.1% in 2024 and 8.6% in 2022, Africa still has the highest number of people facing food insecurity in absolute terms. Additionally, in Africa, the percentage of people unable to afford a healthy diet remains at a global high at 66.6%. This is particularly significant for Africa’s smallholder farmers. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to more than 33 million small farms, most of which are in rural locations, where the prevalence of food insecurity is higher.
For farm families, small harvests mean a constant trade-off between meals, school fees, healthcare, and children growing up with enough nutrients to support healthy development.
For Jenifa, that began to change in 2023, after bumping into a One Acre Fund field officer who took her through the program and explained the flexible repayment process. When the pressure of making a full upfront payment is removed, farmers can access the farm supplies they need on time, allowing them to plant at the start of the season without having to delay their planting schedules. "I finally understood that this was truly meant for young farmers like me,” Jenifa says.
She enrolled, gaining access to farm supplies on credit and training on more effective farming techniques.
"I have seen a huge change in my yields. In my first year, I got 750 kgs from my half-acre farm. In 2025, I harvested 1,100 kgs, the biggest harvest I have ever had,” Jenifa says.
A better harvest meets immediate needs, a surplus creates choices
With enough food for family consumption and a surplus to sell, Jenifa began to expand her income streams. She could also invest more in her farm and create more options for her family.
“With this good harvest, I sold some of it to invest in the next season. I also bought chicks last year, which helps me make extra money and gives my family vegetables for our meals. When my mango and avocado trees grow big, they will give my children healthy, balanced meals to help them grow strong. Plus, I can sell the extra fruit to earn some additional money.”
This year, her farm is becoming even more diverse. Among the green fields, a new crop is taking root: chilli.
Last season Jenifa’s grandmother grew chilli and through One Acre Fund’s Market Access program, sold her harvest for 200,000 Malawian Kwacha ($115). “I was inspired. It seemed to bring in much more money than other crops,” Jenifa says.
Her chillis are already ripening. “And they look very good. If the season goes well, my dream is to use the money to start a clothing business,” Jenifa says.
For families like Jenifa’s, having enough food can be the foundation for what comes next: children in school, investing in their farms, diversifying their incomes, and building a path toward greater prosperity.
In 2025, One Acre Fund served 5.9 million farmers across Africa, delivering an estimated $600 million in impact. Our services are designed to support farmers to grow more food, earn more from their harvests, and build more secure livelihoods. Farmers can also access connections to markets where higher-value crops such as chilli and avocados provide stronger sources of income.
For Jenifa, access started a chain reaction: enough and diverse food for her family, more choices, and the freedom to dream bigger. Now, she gets to decide what comes next.
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