Oikocredit International

Good Nature Agro is a social enterprise based in Chipata, Zambia, focused on empowering small-scale farmers to enhance their productivity and income. Formed in 2014, the company organizes groups of farmers who nominate a Private Extension Agent (PEA) from within their ranks. These PEAs undergo rigorous training to become community leaders and provide ongoing support and personalized recommendations to fellow farmers throughout the growing season. By promoting improved farming practices, Good Nature Agro supplies high-quality legume seeds and offers loans for additional inputs, helping farmers transition from traditional crops to more lucrative options. The company also guarantees a market for the certified legume seeds harvested by the farmers, effectively enabling them to significantly increase their income and achieve lasting financial stability.

RDG Collective was established in 2018 with the ambition to ‘Empower the Future’ by developing and distributing innovative solar home systems throughout Zambia, where an estimated 2.4 million households still lack access to electricity. While the cost of solar energy remained prohibitively high for almost all off-grid households, RDG Collective came up with innovative products distributed on a pay-as-you-go basis. By eliminating this financial barrier, RDG has enabled an increasing number of Zambian households to access solar home systems, refrigerators, solar water pumps and smartphones to improve and empower their lives.