People

Proposals for Enterprise Zambia funding must demonstrate a potential positive impact on the income and livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

The first cohort of companies chosen for Enterprise Zambia funding estimate they will reach over 100,000 smallholder farmers and support over 1,000 full time-equivalent jobs.

Planet

Enterprise Zambia proposals should promote land management practices that improve soils and reduce harmful chemical use - as well as those which encourage the uptake of new technologies, including drought-tolerant seeds and solar irrigation.

The grant funding will be used to support the establishment of Zambia's first-ever organic cotton supply chain, to provide warehousing, support commodity brokerage, process and distribute industrial and domestic wood products, and to market and sell a range of products, including oil and legume crops.

Profit

Successful proposals for Enterprise Zambia funding must make commercial sense for the companies and their farmers.

The grant funding awarded to date total €4.3m, with the five companies planning to invest a further €8.1m to co-finance the projects.

Cotton

Decimated by cheaper Asian imports and by second hand clothing coming to Africa from the West, Kenya’s cotton industry is now making a comeback.

AgriFI’s support for a cotton company has to date seen:
• 6,389 farmers receive training
• 14 collection centres established
• 112 demonstration plots created

Dairy

Dairy  production an important
economic and cultural activity for small-scale farmers in Kenya. To date, AgriFI has provided grant support to two businesses, to improve the quality and quantity of milk and other dairy products.

• 1,027 farmers trained on dairy production best practice
• 2 co-operatives have new processing and other equipiment installed
• 1 ESL (extended shelf life) processing factory constructed
• 103 new jobs created

Fruit and Nut

Financing has been provided by AgriFI to a number of businesses in this sector, including companies processing fresh and dried mango, coconut products, avocado and macadamia nuts.

To date these businesses have seen:
• 6,139 receive training
• 1,404 jobs created
• 4,828 secure a new market for produce

Gum Arabic

A naturally occurring compound used in many foods and beverages, Gum Arabic is harvested from an acacia tree species that grows wild in Africa’s plains. ‘Tapping’ gum is providing a valuable income for thousands of rural poor women in Kenya, while also promoting the protection and conservation of the acacia tree.

• 6,700 collectors ‘tapping’ and selling gum
• 2,000 acres of land conserved for acacia trees

Coffee

Coffee is grown on almost 250,000 acres of farmland in Kenya, and 65% of this is produced by 700,000 smallholder farming households producing less than a single acre of coffee.

• 2,469 farmers were trained in production to secure
Rainforest Alliance certification
• 60 demonstration plots established
• 3 ecological washing stations established

Agricultural Inputs

The fund is supporting businesses
producing solar powered irrigation, animal health services, and businesses producing bio-fertiliser and pyrethrum*.  

• 12,361 farmers received training
• 8 clinics, depots and support centres established
• 5,132 received equipment

*Pyrethrum is a natural plant insecticide once grown by over 200,000 Kenyans, but which lost its market share to cheaper chemical alternatives.