Powering Entrepreneurs to end Poverty

iDE assists farming families in moving from subsistence farming to running a farm business. It does so by building their knowledge of and access to productive inputs and by connecting them to profitable market opportunities.

iDE’s impact is centred on the Farm Business Advisor (FBA) approach, which involves recruiting and training local agri-entrepreneurs to support smallholder farmers with critical links to quality inputs, credit, markets and advice on land preparation, planting and harvesting techniques, soil nutrients and pest control. FBAs earn an income by selling seeds, fertilisers and agricultural technologies like hermetic storage bags on commission and by charging fees for the services they provide to farmers.

iDE also facilitates and supports the organisation of farmer groups to promote the aggregation of their produce, which reduces farmers’ transportation costs and time burden while increasing their collective selling power.

Over the next five years, iDE aims to expand its network of FBAs in Zambia to over 1,200 agri-entrepreneurs who will make a substantial impact on the food security, nutrition and household income of 300,000 farming households.