Salima Lungu Nosiku started out small when she first became an entrepreneur, renting out a shop to sell agricultural materials to farmers in the Chibombo District of Zambia. She had the ambition to grow but her customer base was just too small. “Waking up in the middle of the night to plan how I would pay my rent because sales were slow the previous day became my daily routine,” said Salima.
Now, five years after connecting and training with iDE, Salima owns three shops and her clientele has grown to over 5,000 rural farmers. Her businesses serve as a central location for smallholder farmers to buy the things they need like seeds and fertilizer at the beginning of the season and when harvest time comes around, Salima’s stores become aggregation centers to help farmers reduce transportation costs associated with bringing farm produce to the market. “Unlike many commodity traders in the area, I pay cash when buying crops from farmers, therefore, it increases their confidence in my transactions,” said Salima.
Now successful herself, Salima aims to support other women in earning an income. “I have employed three female shop attendants in each of my shops because women are more committed, dedicated and trustworthy compared to our male folks,” said Salima. “Working with women has made me realize how important it is to empower them. If you empower a woman, you are not only empowering one person but the entire community.”
What's next for Salima
“In five years’ time, I see myself expanding my agro-business by opening two or three big shops in one of the big cities in Zambia, either in Lusaka or Kabwe where I will be supplying various agricultural inputs at a large scale. In addition, I plan on establishing formal linkages with international input suppliers of chemicals so that I can become a distributor of agro-chemicals. Lastly, I would like to buy a bigger solar powered irrigation system and a tractor in order to expand my farm business.”
“I have employed three female shop attendants in each of my shops because women are more committed, dedicated and trustworthy compared to our male folks. I have provided academic support to one of my employees to acquire a diploma in Agriculture to enhance the agro-services we provide to farmers. Working with women has made me realize how important it is to empower them. If you empower a woman, you are not only empowering one person but the entire community.” —Salima
Salima's Details
Country
- Zambia
Sector
- Agriculture
Entrepreneur Impact
- Access to finance
- Availability of Technology
- Motivating Investment
- Output Marketing
- Training & Capacity Building
- Local Distribution & Sales
- Job Creation
Ecosystem Impact
- Food & Nutrition Security
- Local Economic Development
- Transformative Market Participation
Country Profile
- 146/189
Human Development Index (HDI) Rank
- 59%
Poverty Rate
- 19 Million People
Population
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