Venture:
The Harvest Fund
Founders:
Michelle Kurian ’10BUS and Ackson Mwanza
Industry:
Agriculture
Venture Type:
Nonprofit
What is the social or environmental issue being addressed?
Like its neighbors, Zambia imports over fifty percent of fresh vegetables and fruits. However, approximately half of its population are farmers, seventy percent of whom are women. There is inadequate agricultural productivity and a high carbon footprint for Zambia’s food. Food must travel thousands of kilometres mostly from South Africa to reach the consumer.
The national challenge occurs for several issues: (1) the majority of Zambia’s are smallscale farmers who rely on a single annual rainy season, which has become more erratic due to the adverse effects of climate change; (2) farmers barely produce enough for their families; and (3) lack of running water to grow crops despite ideal growing conditions.
Innovation:
The Harvest Fund's vision is to be an enterprise that builds the agricultural economy while eradicating poverty. Our mission is to improve the livelihoods of Zambian female farming cooperatives. In Zambia and similar countries, women are the backbone of agriculture, yet toil away with their bare hands and feet and basic tools. The Harvest Fund creates a profitable half-hectare vegetable plot for over ten cooperatives that are watered year-round with a solar-powered irrigation system. We provide seed, fertilizer, and regenerative agriculture training to make these women farmers more productive and permanently escape poverty.
Read More:
- The Harvest Fund: Promoting Year-Round Sustainable Production in Smallscale Farms
UNDP Zambia YouTube
August 25, 2022 - The Harvest Fund
CharityHowTo
February 10, 2022 - Hero’s Journey Series | Guest Post by Michelle Kurian, The Harvest Fund
Black Fox Philanthropy
July 7, 2020