ZOCOFFAMS Integrated Agribusiness Company Limited is a long-established business providing tractor services and agricultural inputs to farmers. It also has an irrigation site at Yapei. The company works with 2,000 smallholder out-growers (65% women) in five districts, each farming an average of 2 acres. It aggregates maize, rice and soybean from these out-growers. ZOCOFFAMS joined the MADE programme in 2015, and between 2015 and 2018 it aggregated more than 9,300 MT of produce.
MADE interventions
- Recruited, trained and deployed five Farm Enterprise Advisors.
- Strengthened commercial partnerships between ZOCOFFAMS and major input dealers such as Wumpini Agrochemicals, Ganorma Agro and Yara.
- Enabled ZOCOFFAMS to provide support to underserved farmers using extension services from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
- Introduced the Advanced Business Model: ZOCOFFAMS has invested in the components of land preparation, improved seed, plant nutrition and protection, and good agricultural practices.
Impacts
- Expanded smallholder farmer outreach from 1,000 in 2015 to 2,000 in 2018.
- Increased understanding among smallholder farmers on the proper application and use of agro-inputs.
- Facilitated more timely application of agro-inputs on smallholder farms through improved service provision.
- Raised yields for smallholder farmers from an average of 5.5 to 8.5 bags (100 kg) per acre for maize, from 8 to 12 bags (100 kg) per acre for rice and from 6.5 to 10 bags (100 kg) per acre for soybean between 2015 and 2018.
