Schweizer Agriculture And Resettlement Division (RD) Under The Office Of The Vice President (OVP) Technical Working Group On Access To Finance (TWG-A2F), January 2025, Monthly Report.
The Access to Finance Technical Working Group met on Wednesday 30th/01/2025 at the Kanakatapa Resettlement scheme in Chongwe District. In attendance were 07 members representing their respective cooperatives and two officers from the Resettlement Division (RD) also joined the meeting. The following cooperatives were represented: 1. Evergreen Women Cooperative-Christine Ngoma Phiri 2. Kanakantapa women Association-Lydia Mudenda 3. Kanakantapa young Women-Elizabeth Chembe 4. Kanakantapa Health Foods-Stella Kango 5. Tuzenje multi-purpose-Robson Chipangula 6. Antioch Multi-purpose-Veronica Banda 7. Kwacha Multi-purpose-Louisa Sakala Shawa 8. Resettlement Division (RD) – Mwanchanika Msiska 9. Resettlement Division (RD) – Dick Malinda
Schweizer Agricultural- Division of Resettlement (DR)’ Technical Working Group on Infrastructure (TWG-I) Report, January, 2025
Schweizer Agriculture, through its asset and fund management unit, has anchored the Technical Working Group on Infrastructure (TWG-I) in Chongwe district. The TWG-I aims to mobilize resources to improve basic infrastructure and services for ten cooperative memberships, enabling them to increase production. Background Last year, the cooperatives faced challenges in securing funding through the public sector, such as the Resettlement Division (RD), and other private sector partners. To address this, the TWG-I is exploring alternative funding avenues, including the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), to support local agricultural projects, particularly those involving women and youth. Key Initiatives Attachments Please find attached the January 2025 TWG-I report, which provides insight into our adaptation of available projects and funding opportunities at the local level. Additional Initiatives Separately, Schweizer Agriculture is facilitating resource mobilization with the Resettlement Division to enable its small-scale farmers to access finance through its Technical Working Group on Access to Finance (TWG-A2F).
Technical Working Group on Access to finance
Ms. Cholwe Kagoli, a renowned expert in agribusiness, is leading the charge in enhancing access to finance for agricultural cooperatives. As the head of the access to finance unit at Schweizer Agriculture Ltd, she’s spearheading the Technical Working Group on Access to finance. This group is collaborating with the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services to empower cooperative members in the Kanakantapa Resettlement Scheme. The initiative has already borne fruit, with cooperative members receiving training on accessing financial services and creating markets for their produce. This training has enabled them to secure loans using long-term contracts as collateral. Furthermore, the Technical Working Group is developing 10 business plans for 10 cooperatives in Kanakantapa Resettlement Scheme, aimed at facilitating access to finance from financial institutions. It’s worth noting that access to finance is a critical component of agricultural development. In Mali, for instance, agricultural finance is dominated by a few commercial banks and microfinance institutions However, initiatives like the one led by Ms. Kagoli are helping to increase access to finance for small-scale farmers and cooperatives.
Seed Foundation, the capacity-building unit of Schweizer Agriculture
Seed Foundation, the capacity-building unit of Schweizer Agriculture, has been invited to join efforts by working together with the Presidential Delivery Unit (Z-PDU) to facilitate a private sector agricultural and agribusiness forum. The event aims to boost seed production in support of the Government of Zambia’s ambitious goals: In preparation for the forum, Seed Foundation has engaged with the Ministry of Agriculture’ departments through its Technical Working Group on Seed Multiplication, Landscaping, and Horticulture. This collaboration aims to share insights, knowledge, and the latest technologies in the seed ecosystem with key stakeholders, including: The forum, scheduled for February 2025 at Mount Makulu, will feature Her Honor, Mutale W. Nalumango, MP, Vice President of the Republic of Zambia, as the keynote speaker. The panel discussions will be spearheaded by Mr. Reuben Mtoro, Minister of Agriculture, and other experts in the seed ecosystem. To learn more about the Technical Working Group setup launched in Chongwe district at the Kanakantapa Resettlement Scheme, co-chaired by Schweizer Agriculture and the Ministry of Agriculture,
Technical Working Group on Infrastructure (TWG-I)
Kobi Mwansa, a young farmer from Kanakantapa Resettlement Scheme in Chongwe district, is making waves in the agricultural sector. As a member of the Technical Working Group on Infrastructure (TWG-I), Kobi represented his group at a meeting with provincial principal officers in the Division of Resettlement, Office of the Vice President, at Ku Park Lodge in Kafue on December 5, 2024. Kobi’s 4ha farm is a testament to his hard work and resilience. He produces poultry, vegetables like chilies, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. After witnessing the devastating effects of drought, Kobi adapted to growing winter and early maize, inspired by a visit to a 300ha farm in Kabwe. This shift has enabled him to become self-reliant and champion his cooperative, Tizenge Youth. Tizenge Youth is seeking an additional 4ha of land from the Division to increase their productivity. By aggregating their harvest, the cooperative aims to make their produce more economically viable, increase profits, and achieve success. Kobi’s story is a shining example of the potential for young farmers to drive economic growth and development in Zambia.
Annual Planning Review Meeting
We recently attended an Annual Planning Review Meeting, where we shared our reports with the Permanent Secretary, Ms. Marvis Nkomeshya, and the Resettlement Division in the Office of the Vice President. Our main focus is on implementing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to support small-scale farmers in Zambia. We’re emphasizing key value chains, productivity, and climate resilience to drive growth and development. At the meeting, we presented our annual reports on the Kanakantapa Resettlement scheme, which was well-received by the provincial principal officers. The reports have since been conveyed to the District Commissioner (DC) of Chongwe and the District Agriculture Coordinator (DACO) of the district. We’re also making progress after launching a 5,000ha banana project and technical working groups (TWGs) targeting five key regions in Zambia. This initiative aligns with the government’s efforts to promote climate resilience in agriculture, as outlined in the Zambia Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding to Develop an Agricultural Value Chain [5). Our approach is centered around enterprise-led market development, facilitating the development and coordination of market-led value chains. By supporting small-scale farmers and promoting climate resilience, we’re contributing to the government’s vision of a prosperous middle-income nation by 2030.
Schweizer Newsletter – Regenerative Agriculture News (RAN) Report, Q1 2024
Schwiezer Agriculture Executive Director, Joas Mukanda Chihangu, shaking hands with ABSA Business Banking Director Mr. Bruce Janni when they met farmers from Kanakantapa Resettlement Scheme in Chongwe District. The scheme is operated by Department of Resettlement under the Office of the Vice President OVP (OVP). The partnership will provide financial and non-financial products and services that make a farmer’s business efficient by de-risking farming activities from climate change risks, environmental stressors and economic shocks at every step of the way.
Regenerative Agriculture News (RAN) Report Quarter 4, 2023.
Schweizer Agriculture is a Zambian company specialised in linking agricultural sciences to agriculture technology, agri- business and value addition. The firm also provides linkages to markets. Some of the agri-business activities includes sourcing of lowly-priced seed, organic fertilisers, crop protection chemicals and solar irrigation units to smallscale farmers in rural areas through its five (5) units.
Mumbwa – District Indaba On Agriculture (DNA)
In the picture is Joas Chihangu, Executive Director of Schweizer Agriculture, Evans Kambobe and Justine Ndinenka of Justeva Agro Marketing Ltd in Mumbwa District of Central Province. Schweizer Agriculture is arranging guaranteed markets for grain for Justeva Agro Marketing with an ability to secure credit lines for crop inputs, crop aggregation, marketing & post harvest activities Schweizer Agriculture plans to present a District Agricultural Indaba (DNA) in Mumbwa under the auspicious of the District Agricultural Cordinator (DACO) for Mumbwa Dr. Nicholus Obby Mainza who has a very beautiful CV, experience in agriculture and agribusiness. Later in the day, Schweizer Agriculture met the Mumbwa DACO on the 7th June, 2022 and he welcomed our team in his district and since then various emails have been exchanged with an Apex of related stakeholders in order to provide access to finance, land assessment to determine the needed inputs; this will also involve base lining sixteen (16) cooperatives in the district currently working with Justeva Agro Marketing Ltd, other district producers/such as young men and women associations interested to come on board for Poverty Alleviation and Rural Development (PARD). Kachi Agri Micro Finance and Oasis Asset and Fund Managers have since followed-up through various emails to the DACO’ office for further collaboration, facilitation as we await the District Commissioner to respond to our official letter to co-host a DNA designed to increase agriculture GDP through SMEs and cooperatives. In Mumbwa such SMEs like Justeva are planning to procure grain in large quantities of soybeans, cow peas, groundnuts, maize, sunflower from the said sixteen (16) cooperatives. They may also be assisted to access asset financing from local banks whose credit risk maybe shared with the USAID Enterprise Development and Growth Enhancement (EDGE) Activity which is a 5 year USAID-funded project implemented by ACDI/VOCA and partners Agova and Open Capital Advisors in Lusaka, Central and Eastern Provinces. EDGE’ goal is to support up 450 SMEs (75% of which have already been identified) with the view to increase their revenue, profits and job creation potential, within the six (6) USAID approved value chains. EDGE’ two primary objectives of increasing the competitiveness of agricultural SMEs and their access to finance do align with Schweizer Agriculture (SA)’ own vision to promote the advancement of agricultural small-scale to medium enterprises (SMEs) in Zambia. Both EDGE and SA have over the past several months, been developing a multifaceted relationship, via which both parties are exploring various collaboration possibilities, including in the areas of inputs/outputs provision and linkages to market opportunities to established offtakers/outgrower schemes, to name a few. Our common interest is to achieve catalytic and transformative growth in the agricultural sector, over time. We are also exploring various forms of capital for the identified SMEs and producers e.g. the CDFs, matching grants and other forms of capital in order to develop agriculture in rural areas. Schweizer Agriculture is also cooperating with Justeva General Dealers Ltd to sign various offtake contracts for soybeans, cow peas, sunflower, maize, groundnuts and supply of inputs such as seed, fertilizer and agro chemicals in exchange with various produce. This will involve Kachi Agri Micro Finance also assisting Justeva General Dealers write business documentation on their project structure, financial structure, usage of the money and the benefits for the district will further be assessed through various technical experts in partnership with various agencies of the government. This collaboration is key for the development of our nation especially that agriculture employs over 65% of the workforce in Zambia. For more information on this report contact: sales.marketing@schweizeragriculture.co.zm