Tabitha Kasongo empowers women in rural Malawi through sustainable agriculture.
Tabitha Kasongo is changing the lives of women farmers in Malawi by promoting sustainable agriculture, education, and community development. Her work improves farming practices and builds resilience against climate change, enabling women to lead their communities to a brighter future.
She began a movement rooted in rural Malawi’s soil. Her journey into entrepreneurship started in villages where smallholder farmers worked hard but struggled to survive.
While volunteering with CorpsAfrica, she worked closely with government bodies and NGOs on projects in education, farming, health, and climate action. There, she observed how limited access to information, resources, and markets hindered smallholder farmers, especially women and youth. This experience motivated her to establish Trokass in 2021, a social enterprise based in Lilongwe.
Building Trokass
Born in Zomba- a city in southern Malawi- as the youngest of six children, Kasongo earned a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics from Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Malawi, along with additional certifications in Strategic Leadership, Project Management, First Aid, and Community Development.
Her aim in establishing Trokass was to invest in micro-scale farmers working on very small plots, from 0.1 to 1 acre, helping them “make more from less.” She focused on supporting women, who often receive the least recognition and support despite being central to food production and household wellbeing.
Through Trokass, Tabitha Kasongo offers training in good agricultural practices, sustainable and organic farming, and business management. Farmers also gain access to inputs and markets, ensuring their efforts generate both food and income.
The innovator targeted high-value crops like horticulture and expanded into fish farming—two sectors that thrive on small landholdings but provide strong economic returns.
In Kasungu District, Trokass works with smallholder fish farmers, collaborating closely with traditional leaders such as Traditional Authority Santhe. Together, they bolster rural aquaculture by providing technical assistance and connecting farmers to better markets. To enhance skills, Tabitha partnered with the International Livestock Research Institute to facilitate training on antibiotic use in livestock, further increasing farmers’ knowledge of sustainable methods.
Impact beyond business
Beyond Trokass, Tabitha Kasongo continues to promote community development. She led COVID-19 awareness campaigns, distributing masks and hygiene supplies, which increased mask usage and vaccine acceptance. She launched a tree planting campaign under the slogan “My tree, my responsibility,” distributing seedlings to households and schools to foster climate responsibility. She also helped build a new classroom block at Ndunje Primary School, improving conditions for 180 students who previously studied under trees.
Her leadership has earned her recognition as an EVWA Changemaker in Africa and as a young Sub-Saharan leader under STEMi Makers Africa’s Kuongoza mentorship programme.
