How Delifa turned farming into a Pathway to Prosperity

Delifa Chimtambala has an entrepreneurial spirit and has long dreamed of building a better life for her family. Originally from Ntcheu District in Central Malawi, she and her husband moved to Zomba City in 2012 to set up a grocery selling business, selling produce sourced from her home district. Business was good for a while, and Zomba offered plenty of opportunities. Unfortunately, the business then collapsed a few years later and so Delifa moved the family to Kaname village to start afresh, this time, with farming in mind.

Like millions of Africans, Delifa turned to agriculture with the hopes of finding a reliable way to provide for her family. Farming remains the backbone of African economies, employing nearly half the workforce. The World Bank has found that increasing agricultural productivity is one of the most powerful ways to reduce poverty. For Delifa, it was also a chance to rebuild her livelihood and keep her entrepreneurial dreams alive.

In 2016, Delifa began farming maize and pigeon peas on rented land. But like many smallholder farmers, she faced significant hurdles.

For many African smallholder farmers like Delifa, the struggle is not just about producing food, but about producing enough under increasingly difficult conditions. Malawi is highly vulnerable to droughts, floods, and cyclones, and erratic rainfall patterns disrupt planting and harvest seasons. Many farmers also lack access to farming knowledge and quality farm supplies that can adapt to the changing weather and environmental conditions.

Driving sustainable productivity

Delifa soon learned about One Acre Fund. Through our program, she accessed high-quality seeds and fertilizer on credit without the burden of upfront costs, along with hands-on training tailored to the challenges she faced in her field.

Delifa’s story is a classic reflection of what we see across our programs: participating farmers achieve 30-50% higher harvests on staple crops, translating into improved household food security and incomes. For many farm families, this increase can mean the difference between having consistent daily meals year-round or facing months at a time where family members often have to skip meals and sometimes are unable to eat for days.

Building resilience

But bigger harvests are only part of the story. Delifa’s journey has also been about building resilience against challenges like soil degradation.

Through One Acre Fund, Delifa has adopted new techniques such as making organic manure and planting tree species like Senna Siamea (locally known in Malawi as Kesha wa milimo), which naturally enrich the soil. These sustainable practices are helping her and other farmers improve soil health, reduce reliance on expensive fertilizers, and safeguard their farms for tomorrow. In addition, the irrigation package we are piloting in Malawi and in a number of our country programs enables farmers like Delifa to continue planting and growing, even in the face of changing weather conditions that cause delays in rainfall.

A pathway to entrepreneurship and prosperity

Today, Delifa is once again dreaming big. With her surplus harvests, she has been able to sell maize and invest in her and her family’s future.

At 49, Delifa is a good example of the possibilities available when farmers are provided with pathways that support their prosperity. With access to the right tools, knowledge, and support, smallholder farmers can grow more, build resilience, and unlock new possibilities for themselves and their families.