COMACO Business Model

The COMACO business model is built around commodities that are produced by rural people and processed into high quality, desirable products that convey a clear message: buying these products contribute to long-termsolutions to rural livelihood needs and to conservation threats in Zambia. By returning the added value of these products to poor people, these same people discover the value of cooperating with COMACOs objective to be better custodians of their natural resources and to become self-reliant in food security and livable incomes.

COMACOs products are branded with their own distinct brand name, Its Wild!. In order to drive consumer interest to buy Its Wild! products, the COMACO business model relies on effective marketing to increase consumers interest to buy COMACO. Credibility in the social and environmental services provided by COMACOs products is critical to maintaining consumer loyalty and interest in the "It's Wild!" brand. For this reason, COMACO makes every effort to buy its commodities from the actual producerswho overcame theirfood and income needs under the COMACO appoach. Only in years of extreme climate where production levels may fall will COMACO purchase farmers outside the program to sustain the volume of goods needed to operate at a net revenue gain.

Structurally, the model consists of a network of rural trading depots that are linked to regional trading centres, called Community Trading Centres or CTCs, where commodities are bulked, processed, packaged and marketed. Through this network of ruraldepots, poor, food-insecure families are invited to learn improved farming practices and in return receive limited maize support through a collaborative partnership with World Food Program. Participants are organized into producers groups around their respective trading depot and are trained in conservation farming and alternative livelihoods to promote new income alternatives.

Part of this training effort is to encourage farmers to adopt the right mix of crops that provide an improved basis for soil management as well as increased food security and household income. As surplus yields are realized, premium prices are offered, provided farmers adopt the better farming practices they were taught. Trading benefits supported under the business plan of COMACO are extended only to communities who develop land management plans that provide sound stewardship for their areas natural resources. Similarly, for members of producer groups to be eligible to COMACO benefits, farmers must abide by community land use plans and production practices that promote wildlife and watershed conservation.

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