REIZ programmes strengthen communities to engage in inclusive and sustainable enterprise development. The initiative supports rural people to adapt to climate change, improve food and nutrition security, and participate more meaningfully in local development processes and policy spaces. Through integrated programming, REIZ promotes resilient livelihoods, stronger community institutions, and fair access to economic opportunities.
This page presents the Rural Enterprises Initiative Zambia (REIZ) core programmes and illustrates how they are applied in practice to support sustainable rural development, inclusive economic growth, and community empowerment.
Finance Update RCommunity-Based Commodity Enterprises (CBCE)elease
The Community-Based Commodity Enterprises pillar focuses on mobilising and organising local communities into formally registered producer or trading groups, associations, coalitions, or community enterprises. These groups are then supported to produce high-value commodities at commercial scale and to meet market quality and quantity standards for local and export markets. CBCE provides a strong basis for organizing smallholder farmers into stronger economic structures that can access production support, enterprise development, and market systems more effectively.
Sustainable Environmental Enterprising (SEE)
The Sustainable Environmental Enterprising pillar strengthens the ability of communities to cope with the adverse impacts of climate change. REIZ provides training, tools, and technologies that support climate adaptation, food security, entrepreneurship, and sustainable natural resource management. REIZ’s work on school orchards, climate-smart agriculture, environmental education, and sustainable food systems fits strongly within this pillar and shows how environmental resilience is linked to livelihoods and community learning.
Inclusive, Transparent, Accountable, Secure and Fair Trading Enterprising (iTASTE)
Through iTASTE, REIZ promotes inclusivity, transparency, and accountability on issues of economic governance, resource access, and utilisation. This work supports secure and fair trading environments in rural communities and advances more just and participatory enterprise development systems.
This particular pillar serves as REIZ’s governance and fairness lens — ensuring that enterprise development is not only productive, but also inclusive and accountable.