In Mkushi, Zambia, Steven Banda, a chemist and entrepreneur, is transforming the agricultural sector with his company, Gaphen Group. His goal has been to connect smallholder farmers to markets that often overlook them after harvest. Now, he is expanding into ranching.
Founded on the principles of climate-smart agriculture, Gaphen has already worked with more than 5,000 farmers across Zambia. Its model is deceptively simple yet transformative: equip farmers with knowledge, guarantee instant payment upon delivery, and ensure that every harvest finds a market.
By marrying training with dependable cash flow, Steven has done more than boost yields; he has rekindled hope in communities where subsistence farming too often teeters on the edge of despair.
A 75-Hectare Bet on Zambia’s Beef Boom
But this year, the Zambian entrepreneur took an audacious step. On a newly acquired 75-hectare farm in Mkushi, Steven is diversifying into ranching, with a focus on Boran and Brahman cattle, alongside legumes such as soya beans, groundnuts, and beans. The decision is as much strategic as it is visionary.
“The past two months have been both exciting and challenging at Gaphen Group as we have officially moved onto our 75-hectare farm in Mkushi,” Steven reflects. “This marks a new chapter for us as we expand into ranching, with a primary focus on Boran and Brahman cattle, alongside legumes such as soya beans, groundnuts and beans.”
The timing could hardly be more propitious. Zambia’s livestock sector long overshadowed by its copper exports is entering what some analysts describe as a “quiet boom.” Demand for beef and dairy products is climbing, driven by urbanisation, population growth and rising incomes.
“In Zambia, the demand for beef and dairy products is rapidly growing, creating strong market opportunities for cattle farmers. The livestock sector contributes significantly to the national economy, with beef being a staple protein source and a key export potential. With increasing urbanization, rising incomes, and regional trade opportunities through SADC and COMESA, cattle ranching is becoming one of the most promising agribusiness ventures,” Steven says.
According to government data, beef is not only a staple protein but also one of the country’s most promising export commodities, with regional markets in SADC and COMESA hungry for supply.
For Steven, this expansion is not merely a diversification strategy; it is an act of integration. By linking smallholder crop farmers with cattle production, Gaphen aims to create a self-sustaining chain where legumes feed livestock, livestock manure enriches soils and farmers gain multiple income streams. The result: higher productivity, greater resilience and stronger rural economies.
This vision is deeply personal. Steven’s own journey from YALI alumnus and Mastercard Foundation FAST Program fellow to winning impact awards has been shaped by a determination to prove that African agribusiness can be both profitable and transformational.
In many ways, his venture is emblematic of a broader shift in African agribusiness. Investors are increasingly eyeing agriculture not merely as a humanitarian cause but as a sector brimming with untapped potential. With Africa’s food import bill expected to exceed $110 billion by 2025, the urgency of building resilient, domestic food systems has never been greater.
Beyond Expansion: Building an Inclusive Agribusiness Ecosystem
Gaphen’s pivot into ranching is therefore not an isolated gamble but part of a continent-wide recalibration. Steven Banda is betting that with the right mix of innovation, integration and inclusion, Zambia can feed itself and export the surplus.
“This expansion is not just about growth,” he insists. “It’s about empowering smallholder farmers through integration, creating rural employment and contributing to food security and nutrition in Zambia and beyond.”
To the untrained eye, it might seem ordinary. Yet to Steven and his growing network of farmers, it is the beginning of something larger: a vision where cattle and crops, farmers and markets, sustainability and profit, all move in step towards a more resilient future.
If copper built Zambia’s economy in the 20th century, entrepreneurs like Steven Banda suggest that in the 21st, it may well be cattle and climate-smart farming that hold the keys to prosperity.
