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The Yara Prize has been awarded to eight individuals and one organization, representing seven countries in total. The laureates represent a diverse range of African society engaged in the African Green Revolution: entrepreneurs and scientists, activists and organizers, businessmen and politicians.
The fifth annual Yara Prize for an African Green Revolution recognized Kenyan banker Peter Munga and the National Smallholder Farmers' Association of Malawi (NASFAM), for their profound contributions to the United Nations goal of halving poverty and hunger in Africa by 2015.
Name: Peter Munga Nationality: Kenyan Position: Chairman of Equity Bank Ltd. and National Oil Corporation of Kenya Ltd.
Name: NASFAM Nationality: Malawi Position: The largest independent smallholder-owned membership organization in Malawi
This year's Prize recognized that farmers need more than increased access to inputs and higher yields - if productivity gains are to be sustained the entire value chain needs to be strengthened.
Mr. Peter Munga is an accomplished African business leader and entrepreneur. His dedication to the unbanked poor provides millions of smallholder farmers access to much needed affordable savings and credit facilities, helping them break out of the poverty cycle and build better lives.
As the founder of Equity Bank he has seen the organization move from a small village-based building society to a fully listed commercial bank that is home to more than half of all bank accounts in Kenya. Equity Bank has continued to pioneer a range of innovative financing arrangements that have significantly increased farmers' access to credit facilities including; mobile rural banking services, innovative electronic banking, post harvest warehouse receipting schemes and widespread agro dealer financing facilities.
NASFAM has been equally dynamic, bringing together farmers, providing the necessary extension services and promoting farming as a viable business among smallholder farmers - most of whom are women. NASFAM's work has been credited with playing a key role in achieving Malawi's recent progress. It has given farmers an effective voice in policy negotiations, built their commercial capacity, catalyzed the development of a successful agricultural commodity exchange and promoted the use of sustainable agricultural practices.
Announcing the Yara Prize 2009, Arne Cartridge, Secretary General of the Yara Foundation said: "Making progress on some of the world's most ambitious development goals starts with the smallholder farmer. Both Equity Bank and NASFAM are prime examples of a locally driven value chain approach that engages farmers directly, increases their yield and improves access to markets. Both of the winners of this year's Yara Prize deserve praise and recognition for helping to innovatively strengthen agricultural value chains and increase Africa's food security."
The National Smallholder Farmers' Association of Malawi (NASFAM) is the largest independent, smallholder-owned membership organization in Malawi. Through a sustainable network of smallholder-owned business organizations, NASFAM promotes farming as a business in order to develop the commercial capacity of its members, and delivers programs that enhance farmer productivity.
The NASFAM concept grew out of a USAID funded project to support and organize smallholder tobacco production. Since 1995, the NASFAM focus has diversified production to other cash and food crops. Around 80 percent of Malawi's population depends on smallholder farming for their livelihood. Like most Malawian smallholder farmers, an average NASFAM member farms less than one hectare of land to support a family of six people.
Peter K. Munga serves as Chairman of Equity Bank Limited and National Oil Corporation of Kenya Limited. Mr Munga holds directorships in several organizations including British American (K) Insurance, Equatorial Nut Processors Limited, and Micro-Enterprise Support Programme Trust (MESPT). Mr Munga founded Equity Bank in 1984. His first customers were small-scale dairy, coffee and tea farmers. He encouraged small peasant savers and borrowers to support the financial institution by enrolling them into the bank without punitive charges. Under the leadership of Mr Munga, Equity evolved from a Building Society, to a Microfinance Institution to now the all-inclusive Nairobi Stock Exchange public listed Commercial Bank.
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