Projects associated with ZCGA

The project will facilitate the transition from cash payments to digital payments in the form of mobile money in the cotton outgrowing industry, by providing technical and financial support to ginning companies and digital financial service providers to test, implement and scale up different digital payment modalities.

Critically, the project aims to ensure that the transition process is based on the principle of ‘shared value’ in which both agribusiness and farmers benefit from the process as well as ensuring efficiency and transaction cost reduction for the cotton companies.

It is intended that the process of bringing smallholders into the digital financial market will ultimately make it easier for farmers not only to be paid and transact, but also to save, borrow and insure against loss.

Zambia Cotton Ginners Association (ZCGA) in collaboration with Adam Smith International are implementing a project known as ‘VUNA’. VUNA is a project funded by the Department of International Development (DFID) under the British Government and focuses on Climate Smart Agriculture.

The VUNA project involves networking with other stakeholders such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Cotton Board of Zambia and Cotton Association of Zambia. The project also involves the development of a 3-5-year Strategy for the Cotton Sector. VUNA includes sharing of lessons among Ginners on early maturing seed varieties. The sharing of lessons is done by a lead Ginner namely NWK Agricultural Services.

It is hoped that the implementation of planned interventions under the project is expected to produce a number of clearly measurable outputs/results, which include improved availability and accessibility to short season cotton planting seed varieties and a range of yield enhancing soil fertility and pest management practices.