Our Mission
Agripreneur’s mission is to increase the wealth of small-scale farmers in Zambia. Zambia is one of the poorest countries in the World. More than half of the population lives below the international poverty level of $1.90 per day, and 75% of the poor live in rural, farming areas. The HIV pandemic compounded the already dire economic situation in Zambia, infecting approximately 14% of the population, and leaving an estimated 1.5 million children without parents (in a country with a total population of only approximately 16.6 million).
The small-scale farmers we work with generally cultivate only one or two hectares of land. The amount of land they are able to farm is limited by the fact that they predominately rely on family members for the laborious process of clearing and tilling the land, planting, weeding and harvesting each year, without the benefit of any machinery or beasts of burden. Moreover, the income they generate from such small plots does not provide them with sufficient income to purchase the necessary inputs (e.g. fertilizer and seed) which would be necessary to further expand their fields.
As a result, it is extremely difficult for the small-scale farmer to escape the economic cycle that they find themselves in. These farmers generally use the same methods of cultivation that their fathers and grandfathers used, and innovation can often be seen as a sign of disrespect towards elders. For the rural farmer, there are no readily apparent alternative avenues of income generation. All of his neighbours are growing the same crops and using the same methods of farming year after year.
At Agripreneur, we look for ways to break this generational cycle of poverty. We try to find village appropriate business ideas that can serve as “development ladders,” a way for famers to pull themselves out of this poverty cycle one rung at a time. A majority of our Board and advisors, and all of our volunteers, live within the communities of small-scale farmers that we serve, and work alongside them. As a result, our ideas for projects have often sprung from the minds of the farmers themselves, who have no shortage of ideas on how to generate additional income, but rather lack the necessary know-how and/or the resources required to implement their ideas. At Agripreneur, we consider dozens of different projects each year, focusing on the ones that we believe are achievable by, and appropriate for, the small-scale farmer, are easily replicable, and will have the broadest possible impact. We discuss the selected projects with focus groups of the farmers before we adopt them and, where possible, we field test the projects within our own communities, in order to prove the concept works in a village setting before we invest significant capital. We strive to bring a data-driven business approach to each of our small rural projects.
Our Team
Board of Directors
Scott Montell
Prior to joining the Peace Corps in 2019, Scott served as the Chief Legal Counsel for Dubai Properties, one of the United Arab Emirates leading property development companies. Prior thereto, Scott served as the Chief Legal Counsel for the Tourism Development and Investment Company, the Abu Dhabi Government’s tourism arm, which was then responsible for developing a multi-billion dollar portfolio of mega tourist projects, including Saadiyat Island, a 27 sq. kilometer high-end resort development, the Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi, and numerous 5 star hotels, including the award winning Qasr Al Sarab.
During Scott’s 25 year legal career, he has served as the Chief Legal Officer for a number of other international companies including Arabtec, a publicly traded company and the largest construction company in the Middle East, HAMG, a privately held investment conglomerate headquartered in Abu Dhabi, and Loreto Bay Company, a private company which was then developing a 6,000 acre sustainable resort town in partnership with the Mexican government.
Scott traded in his suits and ties for jeans and work boots in early 2019 and has been working and living with small-scale farmers in Zambia ever since. He is the founder of Agripreneur Foundation Limited, a not for profit focused on projects which generate additional income for subsistence farmers.
Scott started his career as an associate at Baker & McKenzie and was later a founding partner of the New York Law Firm of Membrado & Montell, LLP.
Dr. Brita Lang
Britta is a Chartered Psychologist and certified PRINCE2 Project Manager with over 20 years of experience in the mitigation of transport risk, spanning technology solutions, strategy/ policy development, transport innovation, evaluation and education. She has worked with government agencies and the private sector in the Middle East, Europe and the Far East towards improving the safety and efficiency of traffic.
Britta worked for the British Transport Laboratory for 12 years, lastly as its UAE Country Director. She began her professional career as a Research Fellow at the University of Wuerzburg (Germany) with a first-class degree in Psychology and completed her PhD at Trinity College Dublin (Ireland) and was awarded a Prince Michael of Kent Road Safety Award in 2009.
Gift Mwewa
Gift Mwewa is a teacher at Chimfuntu Primary School in the Kawambwa District of Luapula Province. Gift has long mentored village youths in entrepreneurship, and currently runs one of Agripreneur’s Youth Empowerment Programs. Gift has himself been a long-time entrepreneur, founding and operating a number of small companies, including a furniture manufacturer located in Kawambwa.
Kennedy Mubanga
Kennedy is a life-long and passionate farmer. He currently resides in the village of Chapewa in the Kawambwa District, where he grows a variety of different crops, including maize, cassava, sugar cane and groundnuts. Kennedy was the local counterpart to Scott during his tenure in the Peace Corps, during which time they completed a variety of projects, including constructing a local maternity ward, training farmers in conservation farming, starting numerous tree nurseries, constructing a green house, among many others.
Advisors
Matthew Beniston
Matt has served as a key legal and strategic advisor for some of the largest companies and projects in the Middle East and Europe. He is currently serving in the role of Executive Director – Legal for one of the three planned ultra-luxury mega resorts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which are intended to create an entirely new tourism industry in that country. Matt has supported Agripreneur as an unpaid advisor from its conception while helping to shape and make regular financial contributions to the various projects Agripreneur has implemented to date. Matt loves to apply the commercial experience that he has gained to support the real-world benefits and results which Agripreneur delivers, helping some of the world’s poorest communities.
Kelvin Muntanga
Kelvin is a well-known entrepreneur in the Kawambwa District. He is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sigold Zambia Limited, a company that runs a commercial fish hatchery in the Luapula Province. Sigold has partnered with the government of Zambia to produce fingerlings in the region. Sigold also provides training in fish farming and climate smart agriculture to small-scale farmers. Kelvin is also the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Goldpack Enterprises, a commercial butchery in Kawambwa. Prior to founding these companies, Kelvin worked as Environmental and Livelihood Officer for Action Africa Help.
Kelvin has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in fisheries and aquaculture.
Barnabas Silomba
Barnabas currently serves as an Irrigation Technical Officer in Kawambwa District of Luapula Province, Zambia. He has experience in crop management, diversification, marketing, rice production, and has served as a practical instructor at the Natural Resources Development College. Barnabas has advised Agripreneur on surface irrigation projects, as well as providing other technical agricultural advice.
Kevin
O’Brien
After spending his formative years in Indiana, Kevin went out in search of different landscapes and lenses. His spirit of adventure led him first to the mountains of New Mexico then the Appalachians and recently to Zambia with the Peace Corps. Kevin has spent time in a number of service positions including 5 seasons at Philmont Scout Ranch and finds great value in education and the environment.
