URBANA, Ill. (U.S.A.) — Malawi’s Lower Shire Valley is changing. Over 14 years, the Shire Valley Transformation Program will turn 42,500 hectares (over 105,000 acres) into irrigated farmland, giving nearly 50,000 smallholder farmers a real chance at building prosperity and generational wealth. Irrigation infrastructure, along with favorable climatic conditions, will allow farmers to grow two to three crops each year, doubling or tripling their profit potential.

The SVTP is also making it possible for rural Malawi to establish soybean as the national standard for protein and oil, thus entering the global market for soybean, which has never before been processed on a large scale in the region. But with help from the Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL), based in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, soybean is set to take off in Malawi.

For 12 years, SIL has worked to develop the soybean value chain in Africa and beyond, bringing evidence-based guidance on breeding, agronomic practices, mechanization, processing, and marketing. While SIL offers expert advice, its goal has always been to identify and empower “strong nodes” — organizations on the ground that can develop and sustain local capacity without relying on external support.

In late August, SIL and partner organizations created and hosted the first-ever Soy Tour, bringing dozens of decision-makers to tour processing plants and soybean fields in the Lower Shire Valley. Attendees learned everything from plant spacing and disease management in the field to milling and oil refining in processing plants.

The result?

“It’s go time,” said Peter Goldsmith, SIL director and professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics in ACES. “They’re all in. That’s partly because they know they’ll be supported by what SIL brings to the table — locally adapted seed and input recommendations, disease surveillance networks, research-backed agronomic practices, appropriate seed and fertilizer, mechanization innovation, processor capacity building, market development, and more.”

The SVTP is also supporting other high-value crops, but Goldsmith says soybean is different. As one of the world’s most valuable agricultural commodities, soybean offers greater and more immediate potential for individuals and the region to prosper. Expanding the soybean market in Malawi also benefits global trading partners.

“Currently, in Malawi, feeds are not soy-based. The food oil is not soy oil. So, they’re not importing beans,” he said. “But that’s changing. We’ve got processors with more than enough capacity who are now learning how to process soy, and they want more.”

Some of those beans will eventually come from the Lower Shire Valley, where farm managers are already trialing locally adapted varieties and learning management best practices. But the rest — especially if Malawi changes regulations around genetically modified foods — could be imported from the U.S.

In the Lower Shire Valley, SIL is partnering with Palladium, as well as Agricane, Ilovo, and Malawi Mangoes, who in turn oversee grower cooperatives to provide training, equipment, and other support. SIL and Palladium invested in these strong nodes with $40 million from USAID until February, when the agency shut down and halted all funding for international development. Fortunately, SIL’s work in the Lower Shire Valley could continue thanks to an anonymous $1 million donation. Palladium leveraged a similar investment from the Irish government.

“While gift funds are appreciated and keep things moving forward, more formal and strategically placed investments in the past allowed SIL to succeed in its mission to establish the foundations of the soybean market in Sub-Saharan Africa. We hope either private investors, the commercial sector, or another large donor will jump in with funding so SIL can continue transforming the largest and fastest-growing new market for soy in the world,“ said Michelle da Fonseca Santos, associate director of SIL.

To contribute to SIL’s work in the Lower Shire Valley and beyond, visit the donation page, select “other” as your gift designation, and enter “336899 — Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL).” Potential donors may also contact ACES Advancement at 217-333-9355.

The SVTP is backed by the World Bank, the African Development Fund, the OPEC Fund for International Development, and the Global Environment Facility.