Company ProfileAvian Ventures Limited T/A Farm Depot

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Avian Ventures Limited T/A Farm Depot is an agro-input retail business with a retail store network of 19 retail outlets throughout the Copperbelt, North Western and Luapula Provinces, supplying small scale farmers with a range of poultry, animal and cropping inputs. Farm Depot has a wide range of veterinary products, crop chemicals, seeds, seedlings, poultry equipment, day old chicks, and stock feeds. Expert product knowledge and advice is also made available by Farm Depot to train its customers in the best use of the products it sells.

Farm Depot currently has an active customer database of over 35,000 small scale farmers in both peri-urban and rural areas. Farm Depot works with smallholder farmers by supplying products and professional advice to them. Farm Depot has in-store veterinary officers to advise customers on poultry management, and shopkeepers are well trained in all the products they sell. Farm Depot also runs training seminars for its customers at least twice a year.

Project Description

With support from EZCF, Farm Depot aims to;

• Open 21 new retail stores over 24 months to bring total stores to 40.

• Provide in-store credit to farmers/customers through partner Microfinance Institutions.

• Link farmers/customers to off-takers.

• Offer subscription-based platform for technical assistance.

Farm Depot plans to reach an additional 45,000 smallholder farmers through the retail expansion strategy.

Impact on people and the environment;

Farm Depot is promoting some climate-smart agricultural practices amongst its smallholder farmer customers. Additionally, the extension services offered through the subscription platform will primarily benefit females and youth. The micro-finance partnership that Farm Depot will facilitate will allow smallholder farmers to have credit on their accounts provided by the Micro Finance Institution. The number of smallholder farmers likely to benefit directly from the extension services is approximately 5,850. Further, 36,000 will access the financial services.