Company ProfileGrowmore Technologies Limited

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Growmore Technologies Limited (‘Growmore’) is a supplier of agricultural, industrial and irrigation equipment, established in 2018. The company has 53 employees and is headquartered in Kitwe with branches in Solwezi, Ndola and Lusaka.

Growmore supplies both commercial farmers and smallholder farmers with a range of equipment, providing after-sales support and maintenance services to its customers. The company has limited experience working directly with smallholder farmers; to date its engagement with smallholder farmers has been through partnerships with NGOs who purchase tractors and other machinery for their projects and distribute them amongst their farmer networks. Growmore sometimes participates in educational seminars on the proper usage of the machinery.

Project Description

With support from EZCF , Growmore Technologies Ltd aims to:

1. Supply and educate smallholder farmers on usage of various agri machinery and irrigation systems, running seminars throughout the year to boost awareness and explain the benefits of using machinery.
2.  Increase its reach, promoting mechanised services to 8,700 smallholder farmers in Luapula, central, eastern & southern provinces, with the objective of putting an additional 8,700 ha of land under agricultural production. The company plans to start with low-cost machinery including the Kickstart treadle pump, planters, and other farming equipment.
3. Setting up a regional depots and sales outlets, identifying 60 community-level agents who will work on commission to promote products, organising promotional activities and demos, selecting and training 2,900 lead farmers, and promoting climate smart practices and crop diversification.

Product, Market and the Environment

Growmore uses feedback from farmers to gauge demand for new and existing products. The evidence of demand is primarily anecdotal; the company does not rely on external data sources or market research. During demos and field days with cooperatives they gather feedback on local equipment needs and this is analysed to inform the marketing strategy.

Growmore plans to engage with 110 cooperatives in Luapula which have been identified by Kickstart. The company will organise promotional events to inform farmers about the project and will engage community-based agents working on commission to promote the products. These agents will help Growmore to select ~2,900 lead farmers who will be trained to support other farmers in their community and encouraged to purchase an on-lend farming equipment. The company expects to reach 8,680 smallholder farmers through the project.

Growmore’s main activity with relevance to environmental impact is increasing access to affordable equipment (e.g. planting and irrigation) which can help improve agricultural practices. This equipment is manual so there are no emmissions. When it comes to bigger machinery the company is gradually improving the energy efficiency of the equipment it stocks (e.g. tractors).