AfGS to Partner with Bechtel and ETG in Zambia

AfricaGlobal Schaffer, along with Bechtel Corporation and Export Trading Group’s Empowering Farmers Foundation, is excited to partner with USAID and their private sector matching parties to increase food security in Zambia.

Together, we will build a series of Smart Integrated District Aggregation Centers in Zambia over the next 2 years. The aggregation centers will increase the supply and quality of maize from Zambia to help relieve food shortages in the country. The centers will reduce post-harvest losses, thus increasing the supply of maize and the harvest value for Small Holder Farmers.

A public-private partnership approach will increase efficiency, align with the USAID and African governments’ development strategies, speed up solutions, transition to local ownership, and ensure return on moderate investment with scalable impact. USAID business partners will explore ways to implement similar programs across the continent and across sectors that need support and development.

USAID, through the Prosper Africa Initiative, is partnering with Bechtel’s social enterprise, agribusiness/energy firm AfricaGlobal Schaffer, and South Africa-based firm Export Trading Group and its social impact arm, Empowering Farmers Foundation, to address the global food security crisis. The partnership will promote shared prosperity by increasing the supply and quality of maize on the African continent.

While 80 percent of smallholder farmers in Zambia produce maize, maize contributes up to 30 percent of the country’s post-harvest losses. When surplus maize is wasted and damaged maize is sold for less than its value, market dynamics, stability, and job growth are all impacted. This partnership will help to solve these challenges by building green, Smart Integrated District Aggregation Centers in areas where improving production will have huge impacts.

The first phase of the partnership will prioritize the construction, start-up, and operationalization of seven centers in high-production areas in Zambia by the May harvest season. Then, the program will scale up to 23 centers to provide approximately 100,000 metric tons of maize and other crops and potentially avoid more than 800 metric tons of carbon – equivalent to around 80,000 gallons of consumed diesel. Moreover, one-third of the centers will be run by women smallholder farmers.

Eliminating Zambia’s post-harvest maize loss will also provide over 1.5 million people with their necessary calorie requirements, thus significantly reducing hunger and malnutrition.

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