COMACO, a local organisation, breaks this vicious cycle by offering an alternative path to struggling small-scale farmers and poachers, training them in sustainable agricultural practices that restore soil health and produce higher yields. COMACO purchases their crops above market price and turns them into high-value products sold in supermarkets, providing the farmers with a stable income. In return, they agree to stop poaching and become stewards of their environment, protecting wildlife, forests and farmland. As a substantial additional benefit, the extra carbon stored in community forests and in soil thanks to the programme is sold on the carbon market, generating more income for the community.

Cartier for Nature has supported COMACO since 2021, contributing to an increase in the area protected by local communities and a decrease in poaching that is stabilising the Luangwa Valley’s wildlife populations.

Renewing the partnership in 2023, we invested further in COMACO’s growth with the aim of helping it to scale its operations around Kafue National Park and empower even more farming communities to become powerful nature allies.