Kalapula Agribusiness Ventures (KAbV) is pleased to announce the commencement of a Virtual Industry Project in collaboration with students from Loughborough University (UK) through Practera.
The multidisciplinary consulting group, comprising students from Economics, STEM, and International Relations backgrounds, will support KAbV in researching and assessing feed sourcing strategies for the company’s integrated circular agribusiness model.
Feed costs remain one of the largest operational expenses in livestock production, particularly in Zambia, where high and volatile feed prices continue to affect profitability and scalability for many farmers.
As part of the project, the student team will evaluate four potential feed sourcing models:
- Full reliance on commercially manufactured feed
- Purchasing maize from local farmers combined with commercial feed concentrates
- Using farm-grown maize combined with commercial feed concentrates
- Full on-farm feed formulation based on the Ministry of Agriculture’s recommended formula
The project aims to provide valuable analysis on identifying cost-efficient, reliable, and scalable feed sourcing strategies to support the sustainable growth of KAbV’s circular farming system, which integrates piggery, aquaculture, and crop production.
KAbV looks forward to collaborating with the student team and to the insights and recommendations the project will generate.