𝗬𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗢 𝗙𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗪𝗘𝗔𝗖 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗗𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗥𝗠𝗘𝗥’𝗦 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗛 𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗚𝗡 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗕𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥

𝗟𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗸𝗮, 𝗭𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗮, 𝟭𝟭𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲: Yango Food, part of the global tech company Yango Group, has concluded its Farmer’s Month initiative in partnership with the Women’s Entrepreneurship Access Center (WEAC), culminating in an official handover ceremony held at the WEAC offices in Lusaka.

The handover marked the conclusion of a month-long campaign aimed at supporting local farmers and agribusiness entrepreneurs while bringing greater visibility to the people behind Zambia’s food ecosystem.

Throughout August, Yango Food featured a special selection of restaurants on the platform, with a portion from eligible orders going towards supporting the initiative. The campaign also used Yango Food’s platforms to highlight the experiences of local farmers and recognise their contribution to Zambia’s wider food value chain.

The support raised through the campaign was officially handed over at the WEAC office to beneficiaries 𝗝𝗼𝘆𝗰𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗼 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗺𝘀, 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘆 𝗡𝗴𝗶𝗺𝗯𝘂 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘂𝘀 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗭𝗮𝗺𝗮 𝗕𝗯𝘂𝗸𝘂 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗺.

𝗞𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝘄𝗲, 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗬𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗼 𝗭𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗮, 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱:“As we conclude this Farmer’s Month campaign, we are proud to see the initiative translate into direct support for the beneficiaries. Behind the restaurants and meals available on Yango Food is a much wider ecosystem of farmers, producers and businesses. This partnership has given us an opportunity not only to support some of these entrepreneurs, but also to recognise the important contribution they make to Zambia’s food economy.”

WEAC supports women and youth-led businesses across different sectors through training, mentorship, access to markets, networks and funding. Agriculture is one of the areas in which the organisation supports entrepreneurs to strengthen their businesses and access opportunities for growth.

𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗮 𝗞𝗮𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗶, 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗘𝗔𝗖, 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱:“For farmers and agribusinesses to truly grow, production is only one part of the picture. They also need access to markets, the right skills, strong networks and opportunities that can help them take their businesses to the next level. Partnerships such as this one are important because they bring these efforts together and create more opportunities for local businesses to grow.”

The beneficiaries represent entrepreneurs contributing to Zambia’s agricultural and food ecosystem in different ways. For Danny Ngimbu, agriculture presents an important opportunity for young people to contribute to food security, create businesses and participate more actively in the country’s economy.

“Being able to contribute to the food security of our country is very fulfilling. Agriculture provides huge opportunities for young people, and Zambia has the land, the water and the energy of the youth to do much more,” Ngimbu said.

Joyce Tembo has similarly highlighted the importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing among women in agriculture, as well as the role that networks and business support can play in strengthening farming enterprises.

“When women interact, we learn from each other. Where one of us is not doing well, we are able to lift each other. Farming is not easy, but having people who support you makes a difference,” Tembo said.

The Farmer’s Month campaign builds on a series of recent Yango Food initiatives aimed at engaging and supporting the communities and businesses within its wider ecosystem. This includes Yango Food’s participation in the 98th Agricultural and Commercial Show, where it engaged with consumers and businesses around Zambia’s food sector, as well as its recent Back-to-School initiative, which saw partner food couriers receive school packages containing books, pens, pencils, crayons and colouring books to support their families as children returned to school.

Together with the WEAC partnership, these initiatives reflect Yango Food’s continued commitment to creating meaningful connections with the people and businesses within its ecosystem, while supporting initiatives that contribute positively to local communities.