ACRE Africa Launches Financial Literacy Training for Smallholder Farmers in Zambia

In partnership with Agora Microfinance, Synergy Seeds, and the Sustainable Agriculture Foundation Africa, ACRE Africa kicked off a financial literacy training program aimed at empowering 85,000 smallholder farmers across Zambia by December 2025. Supported by the Swiss Capacity Building Facility (SCBF), the program was officially launched in October 2024 with a Trainer of Trainers workshop in Ndola, Copperbelt Province, and will be rolled out in all ten provinces of Zambia.

Zambia’s agricultural sector is predominantly driven by smallholder farmers, who constitute over 70 percent of the country’s farming population, representing approximately 1.5 million households. Despite their crucial role in national food security and rural livelihoods, only about 25 percent of these farmers have access to formal financial services, including loans from financial or microfinance institutions. This limited access to financial tools greatly hinders their ability to invest in resilient farming practices, access quality inputs, and mitigate risks related to climate change.