COMACO Business Model

Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) is a business model for rural development that links markets, agriculture and natural resource management in a way that addresses core needs of poor, food insecure families. As a rural marketing scheme, COMACO rewards farmers with increased commodity prices for adopting improved land management and farming practices that can sustain higher food crop yields while reducing potential conflicts with natural resources. By targeting households unable to sustain basic food and income needs, COMACO reduces reliance on coping strategies that degrade natural resources. The program currently operates over large landscapes of Eastern and portions of Lusaka and Northern Provinces, especially around national parks and protected forest areas, with sufficient involvement by local residents to build increased community commitment and capacity to conserve watershed and wildlife resources. Its business approach encourages market synergies between wildlife, agriculture, forestry and fisheries through a careful selection of commodities and production practices that enhance natural resource management.

Organizational design of services and impact: COMACO supports market benefits that reinforce improved production of environmentally-correct commodities. These services are directed through a regional trading center supporting rural producers organized around local trading depots. By linking trade benefits with required compliance to conservation targets, a range of high-end impacts on conservation and rural livelihood is achieved.