Social Entrepreneur Spotlight: Gift Mwangairo

Tell us briefly what your organization does and how it makes an impact.

Smart Energy Enterprise (SEE) is a social enterprise that aims at alleviating hunger and poverty amongst smallholder rice farmers across Malawi by providing sustainable and innovative solar-powered irrigation systems to smallholder farmers on their own rice fields on a three-year loan basis recovered through water user fees and farm produce levies. SEE mobilizes farmers into clubs who assume complete ownership over the irrigation systems after the loan is recovered. SEE is responsible for installation and maintenance of the irrigation systems.

What inspired you to start your company?

SEE was born after I realized that Malawi has 60,000 hectares of land which is under rice cultivation, however, only 15% of this land is under irrigation. Consequently, a large proportion of smallholder rice farmers are highly dependent on rain fed agriculture which is susceptible to drought due to climate change which has escalated the levels of poverty and food insecurity in Malawi. I further noted that farmers were poverty and hunger stricken whilst they possessed arable fertile land which still remains one of the most valuable assets in the world and it remains idle for 8 to 9 months every year.

What previous business experience did you have before starting SEE?

From 2008 to 2015, I worked as a manager for my family business registered as Mzimbe Enterprises. I mostly monitored cash flow of the business, initiated new business ideas and monitored employees’ work behavior. I also systematically searched for business contracts with various organizations including National Smallholder Farmers Association of Malawi (NASFAM) and Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC).

How has Flame Tree Initiative helped you so far?

Frame Tree Initiative (FTI) has generally set a new mark in the development of my social enterprise by providing new and exceptional entrepreneurship skills on marketing strategies and business plan development. FTI has also helped SEE to win the trust of numerous business partners through the DEStudio Program which has been pivotal in the overall success of my enterprise. For instance, SEE is currently in a very essential business partnership with FISD Finance for Agriculture Development (FIFAD) who supplies high quality and tailor-made solar pump irrigation systems to SEE at reasonable prices.

So far, how many farmers have you supported? What greater impact has that had on the community?

SEE is currently constructing 50 wells on a 200 hectares piece of land belonging to 542 smallholder rice farmers in Karonga district. Already 31 women and 132 youth have generated some income in the construction of these shallow wells. The 50 small scale and sustainable solar pump irrigation systems will be distributed in the mid of the year 2020 for rice farmers to start irrigation farming on their idling land which will increase their agricultural production by at least 45% by the end of the year 2020.

What are the biggest challenges you are facing as an entrepreneur?

I would rank market accessibility for the rice produce as one of the major challenges that we are currently facing as an enterprise. I believe that the ability of farmers to pay back the loan within the agreed time frame in highly dependent on their access to vibrant markets for their produce. Not only that, we also do not have adequate financial resources to come up with a better rice processing plant in order to add more value to the produce for them to fetch better prices on the tough and competitive local and global market arena. 

What goals do you hope to accomplish in 2020?

In the year 2020, I would like to plant not less than 70 small-scale solar pump irrigation systems across the rice producing areas in Karonga and directly increase the rice production of at least 1010 smallholder rice farmers by 45%.  Furthermore, I would like to provide a readily available market outlet for their rice produce in 2020 by purchasing the rice from them at competitive prices.

What advice would you give to other people who might want to become entrepreneurs?

Yearn to live your dreams and visions. Always remember that failure is there to teach and not to torture. If you feel like giving up, then just build a strong team of positive minded colleagues having a variety of talents who can trust and encourage you often times.

Anything else we should know about you or your team?

Smart Energy Enterprise (SEE) is composed of 4 highly passionate young graduates from various professional fields of work. The team consists of the following;

Gift Mwangairo: He is the founder and managing director of SEE. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Physical Planning obtained from the University of Malawi, the Polytechnic.

Dennis Phwandaphwanda: He is also a managing director of SEE. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Irrigation Engineering obtained from Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR).

Fletcher Mhango: He is the programmes manager for SEE. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sciences obtained from LUANAR as well.

Khumbo Chavula: He works as the operations manager for SEE projects. He holds a diploma in Irrigation Engineering from Natural Resources College.