Zambian National Conservation Compliance Assessment for COMACO
Partners
I joined COMACO's Chipata office through Peace Corps Zambia — embedded as a digital support resource for the organization's data, communications, and conservation programming. COMACO worked at the intersection of smallholder agriculture, market access, and wildlife protection, and they needed someone who could translate field realities into systems and data. Working out of Chipata put me close to both the farming communities and the government ministries that COMACO depended on for compliance data.
Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) is a Zambian nonprofit operating in the Luangwa Valley and surrounding districts. It works with tens of thousands of smallholder farmers, providing training in sustainable agriculture and access to premium markets through its It's Wild! brand. COMACO's model ties agricultural pricing to environmental compliance — rewarding communities that protect forests and wildlife with better income.