From pump to profit: Agribusiness for irrigation, conservation, and farmer success in Zambia
In Zambia, smallholder farmers grow much of the country’s food, often producing enough to feed their families and selling any surplus in local markets. But without reliable irrigation, production is seasonal—high during the rains and low during the dry months. That mismatch creates market gaps: when supply is high, prices drop; when supply is low, farmers miss opportunities to earn.
As Africa’s food systems develop, more farmers are connecting to agribusinesses, agro-processors, and other buyers that offer stable markets and fairer prices. But to take advantage of these opportunities, farmers need to grow consistently, not just in rainy months. Without irrigation, that’s nearly impossible.
This is where KickStart International comes in. By partnering with local agribusinesses, KickStart helps farmers get affordable irrigation tools, alongside seeds, training, and market support. With these resources, farmers can grow crops year-round, supply higher-quality harvests, and withstand dry spells.
These agribusiness partnerships don’t just move pumps—they help to boost farmer incomes, support the development of stronger food supply chains in local communities, and help families move away from practices like poaching or unsustainable land use, linking conservation to better livelihoods.
A long-running partnership with deep roots
One of KickStart’s strongest partnerships in Zambia is with Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO), a conservation-oriented agribusiness that supports more than 300,000 farmers.
KickStart began working with COMACO in 2013, the same year it launched operations in Zambia. Since then, COMACO has purchased more than 2,000 pumps to support its wide-reaching farmer network.
COMACO’s approach is unique: instead of punishing poachers, it offers them—and other farmers—an alternative. Everyone in COMACO’s network takes a Conservation Pledge, agreeing to protect soils, forests, and wildlife. In return, COMACO provides training, inputs like seeds, and reliable markets that buy back farmers’ harvests at premium prices. The result is higher incomes, better nutrition, and the return of wildlife to regions like the Luangwa Valley.
COMACO helps farmers adopt sustainable farming practices, then buys back their harvest—processing crops like rice, groundnuts, peanuts, soya beans, and honey for sale under its “It’s Wild!” brand. It’s a model that links environmental protection with economic opportunity—farmers get support and inputs, with the knowledge that they have a buyer at harvest.
“Whenever COMACO hosts farmer field days or training sessions, they invite us,” said Muchona Moonze, KickStart’s Country Manager for Zambia. “We do demonstrations and train farmers, mainly focusing on irrigation best practices and farming as a business.”
Moonze shared that COMACO also encourages integrated approaches, such as creating fishponds to irrigate nearby vegetable gardens, making every drop of water count.
“COMACO is very good at mobilizing farmers,” said Washington Dozva, KickStart’s Southern Africa Regional Manager. “They are focused on conservation, and our irrigation model supports conservation farming.”
The impacts of COMACO’s model are significant. A Cornell University study of COMACO’s program found that women with irrigation pumps were 50% less likely to be underweight, and children were 50% less likely to experience stunted growth. Families with treadle pumps were also 160% more likely to own livestock, 200% more likely to live in durable homes, and 86% could provide 2–3 meals a day, even during dry months with typically higher rates of hunger.
These findings highlight how pairing irrigation with COMACO’s conservation-driven approach can transform not just farms, but whole households and communities.
Conservation meets entrepreneurship
In Zambia’s Southern Province, KickStart has another impactful partner: Grounded Investment Company’s Simalaha Incubator Farm Company (Simalaha IFC), an agribusiness working in and around protected game management areas.
“Simalaha focuses on regenerative agriculture, working with farmers as a way to help them avoid animal poaching,” said Dozva. “It’s a different business option, where they instead grow aloe vera and other herbal products that can be exported to Europe.”
Simalaha IFC, through the support of the Peace Parks Foundation, has purchased more than 400 KickStart pumps to support this shift toward regenerative agriculture and to deter villagers from poaching. For farmers in these regions, irrigation offers not just a way to grow crops but a way to earn a living that protects the local ecosystem.
This link between water access and conservation is especially important in Zambia. Poaching activities often increase during the dry season, when rain-fed crops fail and families face food shortages. By enabling farmers to grow reliable harvests even in dry months, irrigation reduces the pressure to hunt wildlife for survival.
KickStart reinforces this work by offering training on both irrigation and basic agribusiness skills.
More than distribution: A true partnership
KickStart seeks deep and impactful agribusiness partnerships; we work with partners who are invested in farmers’ long-term success. When a partner already has strong relationships with farmers, everyone wins.
These aren’t quick wins. They’re long-term investments in farming systems that work. And they’re showing what’s possible when irrigation is more than just a tool—it’s part of a bigger picture.
The results are already visible. To date, COMACO has helped more than 1,800 poachers transition into conservation-minded farmers, proving that linking irrigation and markets to conservation delivers results at scale. With KickStart’s tools and COMACO’s training and markets, farmers are moving beyond poverty and poaching to create secure incomes that also protect the environment.
As KickStart sees it, that’s where the real change happens: not just in pumps delivered, but in livelihoods built and futures grown—one season, and one partnership, at a time.
Want to help scale farmer-led irrigation?
Partner with us to expand this vital work! Contact us at kickstart@kickstart.org.