If we are going to save our planet, small-scale farmers who till much of our available land area must be part of the solution. COMACO is giving us a solution that has the momentum to build a movement around a brand that started with poor farmers who now stand tall with the knowledge and the markets that conservation can bring.”
Dale Lewis, CEO, COMACO
Location: Zambia
Founding year: 2003
Number of employees: 315
Website: Home - COMACO
Revenue: USD 4.3 million (2022)
Investment ask: USD 1 million–5 million
Investment needed to:
- Expand number of households adopting agroforestry to over 500,000
- Increase greenhouse gas emission reductions to over 600,000 tonnes per year
- Grow annual sales to over USD 10 million, with at least 40% of annual sales coming from high-value export markets
- Establish 4.5 million acres of protected community forests
- Reach 3,000 transformed poachers
- Expand product sales into South Africa, Botswana and Namibia.
Commodities and services:
- Promoting agroforestry and fair trade
- Purchasing and transporting crops from remote regions
- Partnering with over 250,000 farmers
- Producing high-quality nutritious, chemical-free food products
- Offering activities and training for small-scale farmers.
Enterprise portrait
COMACO started its work in Zambia’s Luangwa Valley over 30 years ago. The region was plagued by poor farming practices that depleted the soil and caused erosion, leading to low crop yields, poverty and food shortages in villages. With few livelihood opportunities, community members resorted to poaching wildlife and growing non-food crops for cash, further depleting the soil. They often burned trees to create charcoal for sale as fuel. In response, COMACO developed an intercropping agroforestry system, trained farmers and created new markets. Over time, it fostered a partnership with over 250,000 small-scale farmers. These farmers are now spearheading local efforts to protect their natural resources, using agroforestry to generate income and sustain their livelihoods.
COMACO envisions Zambian farmers as a commercially viable source of nutritious, chemical-free food. As well as this food meeting their own needs, any surplus can be converted into value-added products. By using farming practices that do not require additional land clearance, farmers can improve their livelihoods and reduce deforestation and biodiversity loss.
Today, COMACO collaborates with over 260,000 farmers across nearly a third of Zambia. They purchase and transport crops from remote regions where few other buyers venture, and offer premium prices to ensure farmers receive fair value. These crops are processed into high-quality food products and sold across Zambia under the brand It’s Wild. Profits are reinvested into the farming community through premium prices, ongoing support, payouts in the form of conservation dividends and carbon credits, and other COMACO programme activities. As a result, food security has significantly improved across the region and elephant populations in the Luangwa Valley are gradually recovering
COMACO’s solution has reached a tipping point for scaling across Zambia, thanks to the influence of farmers and their leaders, especially women. Its communication methods inform, convince, and inspire a large-scale transition to this farming system. COMACO’s goal is to expand to:
- over 500,000 households adopting agroforestry
- over 600,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emission reductions per year
- more than USD 10 million of annual sales with at least 40% of these coming from high-value export markets
- 5 million acres of protected community forests
- 3,000 transformed poachers.
Agroecology impact highlights
A True Cost Accounting Assessment* calculated that COMACO’s approach generates many co-benefits. The study showed how COMACO’s comprehensive approach is aligned with all the principles of agroecology and generates tremendous value for local communities. Some highlights include:
- Environmental degradation leads to poverty traps that change food systems, which in turn reinforces behaviours that increase environmental degradation. COMACO reverses the drivers of food insecurity and its approach results in nutrition security as well as agricultural and ecological resilience.
- Biodiversity and ecosystem services are part of COMACO’s strategy to help local communities adapt to the adverse effects of climate change. Agroecology practices that use soil-replenishing trees contribute to soil health enhancement, carbon sequestration and natural pest resilience and provide a sustainable source for fuel wood.
- COMACO links conservation and climate-change mitigation. Carbon markets are a critically important byproduct of a sustained commitment to conservation farming practices because they result in decreased deforestation and more sustainable land management.
- COMACO’s strong business model, supported by the development of a unique brand and in combination with training and support, synergises economic and conservation efforts, grows revenues, and provides a path toward sustainable financing.
Main barriers and needs
- Working capital: As farmers increase their output, COMACO needs additional working capital to purchase crops. Increased working capital is required to ensure a steady supply for COMACO’s operations.
- Expanded warehousing requirements: Accommodating increased farmer output necessitates additional storage facilities to maintain inventory levels and meet demand.
- Fleet upgrades and expansion: Replacing old vehicles and adding new ones is crucial for improving the efficiency of transport and logistics and ensuring timely delivery of goods.
- ICT enhancement: COMACO is upgrading its information and communication technology systems and digitising its operations to optimise processes.
- Export market financing: Working capital with terms that match the company’s export cashflow cycles is needed to grow exports to high-value markets. Currently, receivables from exports are typically delayed until the time of sale.
Financial capital stack
In 2022, COMACO used the following capital stack to finance its holistic operations:
- Sales revenue – 36% (USD 4.3 million)
- Agroforestry finance – 4% (USD 470,000)
- Grant revenues – 29% (USD 1.2 million from institutional donors, USD 950,000 from philanthropic organisations and USD 1.6 million from endowment funds)
- Working capital loans – 29% (current loans USD 1.6 million, new loans USD 1.9 million).