Social Issue

The Luangwa Valley in the eastern province of Zambia is home to wildlife that supports tourism to the area. It is also home to rural communities that depend on agriculture and natural resources for their livelihoods. Poor agricultural practices, over-reliance on non-food crops such as cotton and tobacco, and climate change have put some communities and the surrounding fauna and flora at risk. Forests are disappearing as farmers use more and more land, contributing to soil erosion and poor harvests. Low productivity is leading to reduced incomes and food insecurity, pushing many farmers to poaching or producing charcoal in order to feed their families.

Our Response

We have provided a loan to COMACO, a company that has been operating in the region for more than 17 years, with the aim of breaking this destructive cycle of environmental degradation by training farmers in sustainable agriculture practices, buying their crops and processing them into organic products under the brand name “It’s WIld! ”

COMACO works together with cooperatives in the region to plan annually the production and training of farmers. Farmers learn to adopt conservation agriculture techniques, such as composting and crop rotation with nitrogen-fixing species, in order to improve yields and reduce land demand and subsequent deforestation.

To further enhance soil fertility, their crops are planted alongside Gliricidia Sepium trees, a nitrogen-fixing plant that adds nutrients to depleted soils and repels pests naturally. Gliricidia leaves serve as the base for organic compost. The adoption of these practices facilitates agricultural productivity without using fertilizers and pesticides.

Expected Social Impact

COMACO began as an initiative to reduce poaching in the area, and its first achievement was to convert poachers into farmers who could feed their families through agricultural activity.

Currently, more than 180,000 farmers are committed to practicing activities that promote conservation. In return, they are benefiting from increased yields and  improved food security. COMACO also provides  market access to 27,000 farmers, buying their surplus peanut and soya production, generating alternative sources of income.

Regarding the impact attributable to Fundación Netri, using our methodology, it is estimated that the loan will benefit, on average, more than 10,000 farming families.