Green Energy and Farming Pvt Ltd is a Malawi-based company with the aim of setting up an innovative, ecologically and environmentally sound, profitable and self-sustainable zero-waste farm for dairy and agricultural products with integrated bio-energy production, with the aim increasing the availability of fresh organic dairy and farm products in Malawi, contributing to the much-needed export diversification, and realizing wider benefits for the surrounding communities.

 

The project responds to the problem of a huge gap in the national milk supply and affordability of quality milk products to Malawians and to the lack of commercial bigger scale dairy operations in the country. Benefits of the project on the national economy include the generation of foreign exchange income from exports and growing expertise in value-addition. The project will set an example for resource-saving, self-sufficient agriculture activities so that we hardly depend on external inputs for ongoing operations. It will also join the very few attempts for nature-conserving, organic agriculture so far undertaken in Malawi and set a role model for organic farming on commercial scale.

 

The company will work with professional, re-known and quality-oriented international and local partners for technical, financial and implementation support to realize this project. It will also aim to liaise closely with government entities like the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security & Irrigation and the Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy & Mining through Departments of Energy Affairs, Department of Climate Change & Environment and Department of Forestry for best practice exchange.

 

 

Farm set-up summary:

 

Based on the above defined gapes and opportunities in the Malawian agriculture sector, the project team is suggesting a setup of Zero-waste, integrated farming enterprise and biomass power production unit to serve the identified local and export markets for a range of organically products dairy products, natural fertilizers and specialized agriculture produce of high demand.

The concept foresees several phases of implementation depending on the initial level of funding available. The first step is to establish a dairy farm in a rural area of Malawi with suitable soil quality, climate conditions and wider community buy-in. According to the preliminary economic analysis of the project team, it is recommended to start with a minimum of 300 dairy cows.

Simultaneously, a specifically sized unit of biogas digesters will be constructed to produce the complete amount of electricity and heat needed to run the farm and potentially generate excess power for supply to neighboring communities and national grid. The digesters will be solely be driven or feed by the excrements of the cattle and excess plant bio mass derived from the farm operations.  At this stage, the organic slurry which is a by-product of the anaerobic digestion process will already be used to improve the soil quality on the surrounding fields, in preparation of the other organic farming activities.

Adjacent to the dairy farm, a milk processing plant will be installed. Initially the co-products will be UHD long life milk, yogurt and Butter oil (Ghee).

As a second step, the farm will be cultivated with different crops for which good export market demand has been established, e.g., stevia (a natural sugar substitute), medicinal herbs, pigeon peas, etc. Other crops include those that are proven as productive natural animal fodder, mulching material or other in-house agriculture inputs.

As a long-term addition to enhance the holistic and environmentally sound concept, a plantation of several tree species threaten by extinction, mix with commercial marketable shrubs tress like Mahogany, Scandal wood, bamboo etc. will be setup. This also implies potential opportunities for value added processing of timber and construction related products at the later stage.