Community Markets for Conservation

Community Markets for Conservation Community Markets for Conservation, COMACO a conservation organization based in Zambia that incentivizes conservation by promoting agriculture.

Learn more about our model here: www.itswild.org/about-us/ COMACO targets poor, food insecure families - the people who are most likely to poach wildlife or burn forests for charcoal. COMACO member farmers are then organized into producer groups to promote a traditionally Zambian group committment to better agricultural practices. Regional trade centers provide reliable transfer of commodities to

high paying urban markets, and act as training centers for ongoing learning. Finally, a formalized agreement with producer groups to adhere to sustainable land use practices qualifies the farmer for conservation dividends that reward the farmer for taking a chance on this new approach. The skills they learn are liberating, giving them the knowledge to make organic fertilizer, diversify food crops, establish their own seed bank, and maintain a balance between farmland, forests and other natural resources. To support the full adoption of these skills, COMACO buys any surplus crops grown from member farmers at fair market prices and resells them as processed, value-added products branded under the name IT'S WILD!. Critical to achieving food security, COMACO buys ONLY surpluses of those crops that are consumed as food and by increasing their market value, farmers commit more time to learn how to be more productive and thus more food secure. Once a family has harvested and stored their crops, farmers are then able to determine how much surplus they have to sell to COMACO. Having enough to eat, plus cash raised from improved harvests, reduces the need to go into the forest to hunt for meat and make charcoal for cash, preserving the ecosystem for tomorrow!

11/08/2026

Every product has a story. Every story has hands behind it.

Welcome to Meet the Hands That Grew It.

From the farmers who grow the groundnuts to the hands at our Chipata processing plant that turn them into It's Wild! Peanut Butter, every jar carries a journey of hard work, care, and conservation.

Watch how a harvest becomes a product with a story.

What part of this journey surprised you the most?

10/08/2026

Meet Nickson Mwale, Assistant Coordinator for COMACO in the Lundazi Valley.

For the past 15 years, he's worked alongside communities to protect Zambia's wildlife. Part of that work includes helping former poachers leave hunting behind by voluntarily surrendering their fi****ms and building new livelihoods through conservation agriculture and other income-generating activities.

Why would someone trade in the only tool they've ever relied on for income? Watch to find out.

The COMACO Model is built on a simple idea, when farmers succeed, nature can thrive too.COMACO partners with small-scale...
06/08/2026

The COMACO Model is built on a simple idea, when farmers succeed, nature can thrive too.

COMACO partners with small-scale farmers, providing training and support to help them farm more sustainably.

Farmers grow their crops using climate-smart practices, and COMACO provides a reliable market by purchasing their harvest.

The harvest is processed in Zambia into the It's Wild! food products you know and trust.

Every purchase helps reinvest in farmer training, farming inputs, and wildlife conservation, creating a cycle that benefits farmers, consumers, and the environment.

That's how one purchase can support something much bigger than what's on your plate.

05/08/2026

You know COMACO for our work with small-scale farmers and conservation.

But did you know we're also the people behind It's Wild!?

Every It's Wild! product begins long before it reaches the shelf. It starts with a farmer preparing the land, caring for a crop, and working toward a better harvest. It continues through sustainable farming practices, conservation, and communities working to protect Zambia's wildlife.

Over the coming weeks, we'll be taking you behind the products to share the stories of the farmers, the journey from field to shelf, and the impact every purchase helps create.

03/08/2026

Today we celebrate the small-scale farmers who are feeding families, strengthening communities, and protecting our natural resources.

Thank you for your resilience and dedication.

Happy Farmers' Day from all of us at COMACO!

01/08/2026

Heading to the 98th Agricultural and Commercial Show?

Here's exactly how to find the COMACO stand from the Main Arena Gate, past ZICTA and ZESCO, straight to the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment.

See you there!

For many small-scale farmers, accessing timely agricultural information can be a challenge. Through COMACO’s Farm Talk R...
27/07/2026

For many small-scale farmers, accessing timely agricultural information can be a challenge. Through COMACO’s Farm Talk Radio, farmers receive practical lessons on climate-smart agriculture, conservation farming, and sustainable land management directly to farming communities.

But Farm Talk is not just something farmers listen to; it is something they put into practice.

In Maguya COMACO Cooperative, farmers use the programme as a learning tool during field discussions, listening together and applying the demonstrations in their own fields.

Stephen Zulu, Chairperson of Maguya COMACO Cooperative, says the programme has helped farmers improve their farming practices using resources available within their own communities, including compost, manure, mulching, and agroforestry trees such as Gliricidia sepium.

“Sometimes we gather in a farmer’s field while listening to the radio programme and practically follow the demonstrations being explained. This helps us understand firsthand how fellow farmers are applying the knowledge in their fields,” he shared.

Through Farm Talk Radio, agricultural knowledge is moving beyond the airwaves, becoming something farmers can discuss, demonstrate, and apply in their own fields.

25/07/2026

🚨Sharing is caring 😩
It's Wild

Have you ever wondered how a jar of It’s Wild! peanut butter makes its way from the farm to your table?The journey begin...
24/07/2026

Have you ever wondered how a jar of It’s Wild! peanut butter makes its way from the farm to your table?

The journey begins with farmers like Victoria and Paul, whose groundnuts are grown using conservation farming practices before making their way to COMACO's Chipata processing plant.

There, locally grown groundnuts are cleaned, processed, packaged, and branded into the It's Wild! peanut butter you know.

From farm to shelf, every step happens in Zambia and is powered by Zambian farmers, workers, and communities. Each jar represents more than a product, it represents a market for small-scale farmers, local jobs, and a commitment to protecting the land that supports us.

It's Wild! Peanut Butter. Good for You. Good for Zambia.

10/07/2026

🚨Aah Children from Kitwe are not to be trusted 😩🙆‍♂️😭
It's Wild

Address

Plot 7223 Kachidza Road
Lusaka
10101

Opening Hours

Monday 07:30 - 16:30
Tuesday 07:30 - 16:30
Wednesday 07:30 - 16:30
Thursday 07:30 - 16:30
Friday 07:30 - 16:30
Saturday 08:00 - 13:00

Telephone

+260971583282

Website

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