Good Nature Agro
Good Nature Agro uplifts Zambian smallholder farmers into the middle class by training them in legume cultivation and guaranteeing them a market. Their business model covers the entire value chain, starting at the breeding of seeds.
Good Nature Agro enables farmers to grow by providing them with training, input loans and reliable markets to plant legumes, and purchases the seeds they produce at a premium price.The seeds are then sold to farmers on the Source side of their business. Before starting to plant, GNA identifies purchasing companies which tell them what kind of product they need. GNA's seed breeders identify a variety that fits or create a new one. These seeds are then multiplied by seed farmers, GNA guarantees to buy everything they produce and sell it on to the companies.
GNA provides the farmes with different forms of support: training, small input seed loans, links microfinance institutions so they can finance additional inputs like fertilizer.
GNA clusters farmers into groups of forty that select one member to be trained as a private extension agent. He or she then provides bi-monthly training sessions to the other group members. Training a field supervisor in seed production costs about 1,000 dollars through an annual seed inspector course. GNA trains their farmers for free, and the knowledge of seed production is great value-add.
GNA aims for a fifty percent female rate when they register new farmers. In addition, 43 per cent of the trainers are women.