In August 2025, a delegation from the Embassy of Ireland and Palladium’s Growth Poles Project arrived in Blantyre, Malawi’s industrial centre. They were there to visit EcoGen Limited, a fast-growing Malawian company dedicated to helping farmers boost soil fertility, increase productivity, and build resilience through affordable, sustainable solutions.

With funding from the Embassy of Ireland for the Growth Poles project, Palladium connects the private sector with local farmers to promote resilience and economic investment, thus ensuring lasting and sustainable growth across the country while addressing poverty and food security.

The group witnessed firsthand how the project and company are working together with farmers to restore soil health and improve productivity. The visit included in-depth discussions on how Ireland’s support is helping EcoGen tackle its growth challenges, as well as interactions with farmers who are already seeing the benefits of the technology.

56-year-old Emmie Sumaili, was one of EcoGen’s early adopters. She could not hide her joy as she showed the delegation her flourishing backyard garden. “I tried the liquid fertiliser from the biodigester in my beans and maize plot, and I am impressed. I cannot wait to use it on a larger scale,” she said with a bright smile, her pride evident in the neat rows of healthy crops behind her.

A Flexible Model That Works for Farmers

EcoGen’s approach is simple yet transformative. Its biodigesters convert cow dung and crop residues into two valuable outputs: clean cooking gas and a nutrient-rich biofertiliser, which they call Magic Soil. This model integrates seamlessly into the daily lives of farming families, making it both practical and sustainable.

The Palladium team recognised the potential to scale this model, and with funding assistance from the Embassy of Ireland, EcoGen distributes the biodigester on loan to farmers, who repay it over time. Farmers receive the biodigester’s slurry – a byproduct of the process. EcoGen then uses this slurry as a raw input to produce more Magic Soil. This circular arrangement ensures that the technology is accessible to smallholders, even those who cannot afford upfront payments, and promotes a sustainable, regenerative approach to agriculture.

Recognising that many smallholder farmers do not own cattle, EcoGen has strategically partnered with the Shire Highlands Milk Producers Association, an association of dairy farmers to ensure a steady supply of dung for the biodigesters while also linking livestock and crop farming in ways that maximise productivity.

For households like Emmie’s, the impact is immediate: families gain access not only to affordable fertiliser but also to reliable energy for cooking. This combination makes EcoGen’s biodigester not just a technology, but a comprehensive livelihood solution.

Affordable, Reliable, and Sustainable

Soil health remains one of the biggest barriers to food security in Malawi. Chemical fertilisers, while effective in the short term, are increasingly unaffordable, with prices reaching as high as MK 150,000 (US$90) per 50kg bag. For most smallholder family farmers, these costs are simply out of reach and to compound matters, heavy reliance on chemical inputs gradually depletes soil quality, leaving farmers trapped in a cycle of rising costs and diminishing yields.

EcoGen’s biofertiliser offers a sustainable alternative. Magic Soil is rich in nitrogen, easily absorbed by crops, and works in harmony with the soil to rebuild fertility over time. Unlike chemical fertilisers that strip the land, Magic Soil restores life and structure to the soil, protecting smallholder farmers’ productivity potential for the future.

“Healthy soils are the foundation of resilient agriculture,” explained EcoGen founder and CEO Clement Kandodo during the visit. “Once farmers bring life back to their land, everything changes – yields rise, families have food, and communities regain their confidence.”

Understanding the Soil Health Challenge in Malawi

EcoGen’s solutions are coming at a critical time. According to an August 2025 policy brief by the Donor Committee on Agriculture and Food Security in Malawi, over 40 percent of Malawi’s soils are nutrient-poor or in poor health, and approximately 75 percent of soils are degraded. Malawi is said to suffer substantial topsoil loss – on average, over 30 tons per hectare per year, ten times the global average.

This degradation costs Malawi a minimum of 2.3 million metric tonnes of maize each year – equivalent to about 2.7 percent of its GDP.

Scaling Challenges and Ireland’s Support

EcoGen’s journey has not been without obstacles. Expanding biodigester systems and fertiliser processing facilities requires heavy upfront investment, and Malawi only recently launched its carbon markets framework. In other countries, such frameworks enable biodigester projects to generate credits that help finance growth.

With this new mechanism, EcoGen should be able to start its transition from donor support to private financing and further scale. The Embassy of Ireland, through the Growth Poles Project, stepped in to provide strategic support down this exciting path. By co-investing with EcoGen, Ireland unlocked financing for equipment and strengthened operational capacity. This partnership has given EcoGen the breathing space to expand and upgrade, while navigating structural and financial challenges, ultimately ensuring that more farmers can access the technology and the benefits it brings.

Progress and Ambitions for the Future

Despite these challenges, EcoGen has already delivered remarkable results.

The company has produced over 1,097 tonnes of Magic Soil, installed over 2,000 biodigesters across Malawi, including 397 new systems via its partnership with Palladium and the Embassy of Ireland, and trained over 500 new farmers in soil health and fertiliser application. Beyond these accomplishments, EcoGen has also created 30 jobs for young people in processing, transport, and distribution, contributing to local employment and skills development.

Looking ahead, the company has set ambitious targets for 2026. EcoGen plans to increase production of Magic Soil to 6,000 tonnes and install an additional 10,000 biodigesters, significantly expanding its reach across the country. At the same time, the company aims to broaden its distribution network, linking up with 100 agro-dealers nationwide to ensure that more farmers can access its biofertiliser. Investments in new facilities, machinery, and logistics are already underway to meet the rising demand, signalling EcoGen’s commitment to scaling its impact and transforming Malawi’s agricultural landscape.

More Than Soil Health

Beyond agriculture, EcoGen’s technology is transforming household life. The biodigesters produce clean cooking gas, reducing reliance on firewood and freeing women from hours spent collecting fuel. Faster, cleaner cooking also means preparing more nutritious meals is also possible. For many, this means safer kitchens, healthier families, and more time to focus other priorities.

By combining improved soil fertility, sustainable energy, and capacity-building for farmers, EcoGen is not just improving agricultural productivity; it is empowering families, strengthening communities, and contributing to a more sustainable and resilient future for Malawi.

The Growth Poles Project 2.0 is a partnership between Palladium and Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through its Embassy in Malawi that is accelerating environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable, resilient, and more inclusive wealth generation by mobilising rural-based private sector investments and partnerships with anchor firms (growth poles) and their surrounding communities, smallholder farmer organisations, cooperatives, and small and medium enterprises in a growth pole approach, with a youth and gender lens.

For more information, contact EcoGen’s Clement Kandodo at clementkandodo@ecogenmw.com or Palladium’s Team Leader Tate Munro at tate.munro@thepalladiumgroup.com