Liangati Mubula Project (Zambia) - Local People Processing Local Fruits

We all know the problem: we have fruits, crops or other food at home that we cannot consume. What to do? Freezing or processing? Preserve! Bananas into banana bread, strawberries into jam and apples into juice. Fridge, blender, oven, water and electricity are available.

The people in Liangati, a community in Zambia's Western Province have plenty of fruits and could also grow more vegetables or fruits, but they lack the means to preserve them. The amount of fruits available would allow to sell surpluses and thus generate income.  

Together with the Liangati Nutrition Group (LNG), an association of 42 men and women, we want to solve this issue. 

 

For this purpose, we jointly want to build a production plant for local products and enable the Group to operate and maintain it in the long term.

 

Starting in 2016, the Liangati Mubula Project aimed to use the Mubula fruit, a local indigenous forest fruit, to improve the living conditions of the LNG members.

Market tests conducted in October 2017 proved the actual demand for Mubula products such as jams, juices, roasted nuts, fruit shell crackers, sweets and fruit powder. 

The Group has been allocated land suitable for the construction of the production facility. The LNG has also been officially registered since 2019, which means that it can now apply for support. However, there is a lack of experience and money on site. Some elements, in particular building materials and planning services for the construction of the production facility must be purchased. 

 

In a first step we want to clarify the construction costs. For this we need the support of a planning office in Zambia. In a second step, the water supply must be secured, which is needed for the construction and use of the processing plant. The third step is the actual construction. Finally, in the fourth step we need some basic equipment. 

Of course we will continue to provide support in the following stages, for example with expertise in processing and marketing. Throughout the entire process we therefore need the support of a local coordinator. 

 

As a result we will have healthy sustainable food (besides Mubula also mangos, mushrooms and vegetables) from Liangati in local houses and shops in the country, maybe even in Europe. The additional income opens new livelihood perspectives, improves nutrition, health care, school education and offers protection against the consequences of climate change.