March 2, 2022
News
In a quest to radically change the face of local businesses for struggling small-holder farmers in Western Province, one of the least developed regions of Zambia, Caritas Czech Republic has been working with local agri-business enthusiasts dedicated to fighting the odds and increasing agricultural productivity and value addition through innovative approaches. The project, funded by Czech Development Agency and supported by the Zambian government as well as Czech and Zambian universities, specifically focuses on mango, cassava and organic fertilizer value chains. So far, the project has supported over 180 smallholder farmers involved in agriculture production and helped five local visionaries build brand new processing plants.
Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) being supported by Caritas Czech Republic
Starting an agri-business can be hard in most developing countries like Zambia. This is because it requires a lot of money to start that most local farmers cannot afford. Accessing technical solutions and financial and business development services is another serious challenge for the vast majority of local farmers. Thanks to the funding of the Czech Development Cooperation Programme, the dreams of five local farmers with competitive business plans build around the processing of local agricultural produce and other resources have started to come true.
The project has equipped each of them with a newly constructed processing facility and other assets necessary to kick-start processing. Additionally, over 90 community members involved in smallholder farmers and 90 mango growers were supported with inputs to strengthen and diversify local agriculture production.
Mushaukwa Bravo Kabombo
Mushaukwa Bravo Kabombo is a farmer from the Mawawa community in Mongu district Western Province who has been growing cassava for many years. Prior to receiving help from Caritas Czech Republic, he faced many challenges with growing his cassava and preserving it because he could not afford to buy equipment for preserving the cassava on a larger scale and to buy oxen for easier land preparation and cultivation, hence he grew cassava for home consumption only, despite his desire to grow it on a larger scale for business purposes.
Thanks to Caritas Czech Republic, Mushaukwa owns a small-medium enterprise which he has named Bmuka Source Production. His enterprise has been supported with working capital and a cassava processing plant for processing and preservation of the cassava.
“Thank you very much Caritas Czech Republic in Zambia for this support, I never thought I would own a processing plant in my life. This plantation will benefit my family and the entire community of Mawawa,” Mushaukwa says.
Jean Makunga Habukali
Jean Makunga Habukali is a female farmer in Mongu Western Province. After losing her job at a local radio station in 2018, she looked for many ways to survive and remain supportive to her family, but could not really find one.
Because she has always had an entrepreneurial mind, Jean joined farming as a business. At first, she could only grow cashew nuts and cassava on a smaller scale until Caritas Czech Republic supported her with premises enabling her to start growing cassava on a larger scale.
Jean has also been supported with a cassava processing plant and equipment that will be milling and packaging the cassava. Thanks to Caritas Czech Republic Jean’s dream of owning a cassava processing plant has been realized. Her enterprise is called Easy General Dealers.
“Thank you, Caritas Czech Republic in Zambia, for giving me this rare opportunity of becoming an agriculture enterprise owner. I now have a cassava processing plant that will benefit the entire Kaande and Zambia...I’m looking forward to a time when I will be exporting my products to other countries like Angola and Namibia,” says Jean.
Muba Mukande
Muba Mukande is a farmer from Sefula, Mongu district in Western Province. Before he received support from Caritas Czech Republic in Zambia, he was a small-scale rice farmer.
Thanks to Caritas Czech Republic in Zambia, Muuba now owns an enterprise called Sweet Munati involved in food processing with a specialized in processing and preservation of mango but also other locally grown fruits and vegetables. He came up with the idea of processing fruits, especially mangoes because Western Province produces a lot of mangoes that only go to waste.
“Thank you, Caritas Czech Republic, for bringing the increasing productivity and supporting the development of mango, cassava projects in Western Province. It has given me a chance to preserve mango fruits in large quantities that I can sell countrywide and in future export to our neighboring countries,” Muba says.
About the project
The project name is ‘Increasing productivity and supporting the development of mango, cassava and organic fertilizer value chains in Western Province, Zambia’ that started in 2020.
Its main target group consists of five medium-sized farmers-entrepreneurs, small-holder farmers with the final beneficiaries being agricultural communities and their households in Mongu, Western Province.
Its objectives are to contribute to the increase of agricultural productivity and the development of value chains in the Western Province of Zambia; to support value addition in mango, cassava and organic fertilizer production in Mongu district through the realization of five selected business plans.
