Umufundo Organic Granular Fertilizer
MLC Voyager | Greencare Eco Solutions Limited
Umufundo Organic Granular Fertilizer is made from locally purchased bio-waste into affordable, nutrient-rich organic fertilizer. The innovation supports smallholder farmers in Zambia with affordable, eco-friendly agricultural inputs while addressing challenges of high production costs, declining soil fertility, climate change, and unsustainable waste management.
50,000 Lives Impacted
Greencare Eco Solutions Ltd.’s Umufundo Organic Fertilizer is improving livelihoods among smallholder farmers in Zambia through a circular economy model that converts locally procured biodegradable waste into affordable, climate-smart fertilizer. GCES purchases organic waste from communities and aggregators, creating additional income opportunities while reducing environmental pollution and unmanaged waste. The collected waste is processed into Umufundo Organic Fertilizer, helping farmers restore soil fertility and improve sustainable agricultural productivity.
The innovation is particularly impactful in areas affected by leached and degraded soils, where nutrients have been depleted through erosion, excessive rainfall, and unsustainable farming practices. Umufundo improves soil organic matter, moisture retention, and nutrient availability, enabling farmers to increase yields while reducing dependence on expensive synthetic fertilizers.
To date, GCES has remediated over 1,073 hectares of farmland through the use of its organic inputs, supported more than 10,000 smallholder farmers, prevented greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable waste utilization, and purchased and converted over 400 metric tonnes of biodegradable waste into organic fertilizers and growing media. The initiative continues to strengthen climate resilience, food security, and green economic opportunities within rural communities.
The Innovation
Umufundo Organic Fertilizer works by improving soil organic matter and restoring nutrients lost through continuous cultivation, erosion, and nutrient leaching. The fertilizer enhances soil structure, increases water retention capacity, improves microbial activity, and gradually releases nutrients essential for crop growth. This helps farmers rehabilitate degraded soils, improve moisture conservation during dry periods, and achieve healthier crop development and higher yields over time. Unlike synthetic fertilizers that may further degrade soil health with prolonged use, Umufundo strengthens long-term soil productivity while supporting sustainable farming practices.
What makes Umufundo unique is its circular economy approach, where biodegradable waste sourced from communities, markets, farms, and local aggregators is purchased and converted into climate-smart agricultural inputs. This simultaneously addresses waste management, soil degradation, and the high cost of agricultural production faced by smallholder farmers.
The innovation is currently implemented across Zambia in Central, Lusaka, Southern & Eastern Provinces. GCES plans to scale the innovation by increasing biowaste aggregation networks, expanding production infrastructure, strengthening distribution channels, and increasing production capacity to reach more climate-vulnerable farming communities across Zambia and the wider region.
About Greencare Eco Solutions
Greencare Eco Solutions is a pioneer of innovative solutions through a circular economy approach. Our mission is to create innovations that work with nature to further human prosperity & Our Vision is to have human prosperity in harmony with nature.
