“The project aims to significantly increase the number of Zambian farmers growing moringa crops and establish moringa as a sustainable income generation crop.”

The Imagine Rural Development Initiative (IRDI) aims to set up a social enterprise for the production and processing of moringa, a flowering plant that grows in tropical and subtropical climates and can be processed into a number of marketable end products such as nutritional supplements, cosmetic oils, cooking oil, soap and organic fertilizer. The project aims to significantly increase the number of Zambian farmers growing moringa crops and establish moringa as a sustainable income generation crop.

The main commercial opportunity in this project is the potential to establish the production and sale of moringa products on a commercially viable basis. IRDI aims to achieve this within the next three years by boosting volumes sourced via the IRDI Co-operative, diversifying the product portfolio from two to nine products (current products are moringa leaf powder nutritional supplement and moringa-based liquid organic fertilizer) and expanding sales into international markets. They will gain access to seedlings, information and skills-training on moringa production and ultimately access to market by selling their harvests to Zamdev Limited, an IRDI partner.

IAP support will be used to cover general capital costs of the venture. Specifically, it will go towards developing a business model, covering fuel costs to rural communities for stakeholder assessments, purchasing Moringa seeds, planting moringa seedlings and part of the wages for the IRDI-trained local women's group who will train others in moringa propagation and planting. Mobile internet access for the IRDI office and access to solar-powered electricity supply for rural villages will also be achieved through IAP funding.