AGRICOOP AWARDS 2026 FARM VISITS REVEAL THE STORIES BEHIND ZAMBIA’S AGRICULTURAL CHAMPIONS

LUSAKA, ZAMBIA — The 2026 Agricoop Awards farm visits have come to an end, marking another important stage in the judging process as judges and the Agricoop Insights team visited nominees across different agricultural enterprises.

The visits provided an opportunity to go beyond nomination forms and see first-hand how farmers, cooperatives and agribusiness entrepreneurs are producing, creating markets, adding value and contributing to their communities.

This year’s nominees represent a broad section of Zambia’s agricultural economy, including horticulture, livestock, poultry, aquaculture, value addition, cooperatives, youth farming and agricultural education.

A recurring theme from the nominee interviews has been growth from modest beginnings. Several farmers have built their enterprises gradually by reinvesting profits, expanding production and strengthening their relationships with buyers.

In horticulture, nominees are producing tomatoes, cabbage, onions, green peppers, cucumbers, okra and other crops for open markets, wholesalers, supermarkets and institutional buyers. Many are also adopting irrigation, record keeping, improved agronomic practices and better post-harvest handling.

The visits also highlighted a growing interest in value addition. Small businesses and cooperatives are processing products such as peanuts, sunflower, soya, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, avocado and cassava, while others are producing cooking oil, dried vegetables, tomato products, beverages and processed meat.

Cooperatives are also playing an important role in organising farmers around production, bulking, processing and markets. Some nominees are working with producer groups while providing training in entrepreneurship, business management and governance.

Youth participation is another notable feature of the 2026 awards, with young farmers developing commercial enterprises and students combining agricultural education with research, practical farming and community engagement.

Behind these achievements, however, nominees continue to face challenges including high input costs, pests and diseases, access to finance, market price fluctuations and water availability. Many are responding through diversification, improved farm management, irrigation, stronger market relationships and reinvestment.

With the farm visits now complete, the judges will proceed with the next stage of the assessment process as the 2026 Agricoop Awards moves closer to the Gala Dinner on 18 October 2026 at Golden Peacock Hotel, Lusaka.

The farm visits have shown one thing clearly: across Zambia, farmers and agribusinesses are building enterprises, creating jobs, adding value and proving that agriculture can be a business.

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