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The Cotton Farmers Association (COFA) is a farmer organization under the trustees Incorporation Act under the statutes of Malawi. It is an affiliate of the Farmers Union of Malawi with membership open to all cotton growers in Malawi and was formed with the aim of strengthening the capacity of members and affiliates through improving their access to production services, lobbying for efficiencies in marketing, and representing them in all policy fora. The association operates in 15 cotton growing district across Malawi with primary producer associations in all cotton growing districts of the country and particularly seeks to include and encourage the participation of all cotton growers at every level (smallholder or large cotton growers).

According to the association constitution, the National board of COFA is required to seek a new mandate in every third year. Therefore, having elected its board on 15th December, 2015 the association organized to have an elective annual general meeting on 26th June, 2019. AICC together with Cotton Council of Malawi, facilitated the annual general meeting by bringing on board  the 46 delegates from the 15 cotton growing districts of Karonga, Salima, Nkhotakota, Mangochi, Ntcheu, Dedza, Machinga, Zomba, Neno, Mwanza, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Nsanje, Phalombe and Balaka (3 representatives from each). These were the only eligible delegates that participated and voted in the elections. 

21^st June 2019 was a joyous day for some of Malawi’s youth agrepreneurs. Coming from central, southern as well as northern parts of Malawi, the young agrepreneurs brought together pavilions to showcase strides and innovations that they are making in the agriculture sector in Malawi.

Being an agro-based economy, Malawi has a long history of subsistence agriculture where people have been encouraged to farm enough to make sure that their families are food secure for the entire year. Whilst many young people have been a part of this subsistence movement, there has over the past decades been frustration because of the lack of economic empowerment that the subsistence aspect brings. As a result, many young people have been crossing the borders into South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana in search of greener pastures. However, it is unfortunate that whilst they are running away from fertile land that can earn them economic empowerment, stories of many young people are heard of being trafficked and many dying in the process of trying to illegally enter other countries.

 2015 is the year which still runs in the mind of one savior Nkhonjera. It is a year which she swears it will never go past her memory.

It was in early April soon after harvesting that she came across AICC’s field officer through Agricultural Extension Office. At this time, AICC was talking to people about the goodness of coming together, form a cooperative and adopt Good Agricultural Practices. To her, this seemed as something that would never materialize because a lot of people that were at the gathering had lost their trust in farming. They cited poor markets, increase in seed prices and unfavorable climatic conditions as some of the reasons that made them lose hope in farming.