Call for Applications for Food and Agriculture Grants in Zambia

Call for Applications - Innovation Partnerships in Food & Agriculture - Zambia.

Prospero Zambia has announced a call for applications for the Innovation Partnerships in Food & Agriculture.

Prospero Zambia works with intervention partners in the small livestock, fruits and vegetables and legumes sectors to address market constraints that hamper sector growth, competitiveness and opportunities for SMEs.

These constraints include: Capital: Access to investment and working capital finance severely constrains the growth potential of SMEs throughout food and agricultural value chains. Innovative solutions around capital accessibility and provision for SMEs would have an inordinate impact on job creation and growth.

Capacity: Management capacity is an issue facing many production, value-adding and processing businesses in Zambia.

Lack of knowledge and understanding of cultivation practices limits the potential for smallholder farmers to diversify into new crops.

Connections: Poor physical (cross border) infrastructure and service provision (e.g. transport logistics and cold chain facilities) limit the potential of producers to access end-consumer markets including regional and international markets. Lack of cooperation between potentially complementary businesses further restricts business growth.

Compliance: Changing regulations, policy uncertainty (e.g. import and/or export bans) and limited understanding of domestic and international food safety standards and market preferences further deter local business growth.

Funding Information

Technical Assistance only: £5,000 to £50,000

Business Innovation (this can include some technical assistance): £5,000 to £100,000

Eligibility Criteria

Registered and tax-compliant for-profit organizations are eligible to apply. Individuals are not eligible.

All applicants must meet three basic conditions: