Steven Banda is the visionary behind Gaphen Projects, an agri-tech company he established after observing the significant challenges smallholder farmers encounter, including limited market access and low yields due to unsustainable farming practices.
Gaphen provides extensive agricultural support through its innovative out-grower scheme, offering farmers a competitive market that guarantees fair prices for their produce. They buy crops from farmers at competitive prices and supply them to agro-processing companies, which helps lower transport costs for the farmers.
The platform also offers personalized AI farming advice and smart weather resources derived from real-time data, empowering farmers to make informed choices that enhance yields, minimize environmental impact, and ensure long-term success.
Gaphen’s comprehensive approach merges market access, training, and digital resources to equip farmers with essential skills for thriving.
Currently, Gaphen employs six full-time staff members and twelve part-time workers who support 2,700 smallholder farmers in Zambia, with 80% of them being women, and a growing waitlist.
Steven attributes his ability to innovate while prioritizing customer needs to the Human-Centered Design (HCD) and Design Thinking (DT) principles he learned at YALI. Since joining YALI, he has successfully integrated HCD and DT methodologies into his company, allowing his team to create more impactful solutions.
“The experience deepened our understanding of our customers and allowed us to create technologies such as the Artificial Intelligence Chatbots, Smart Weather and Bioscan that better serve their needs. By focusing on empathy, collaboration, and interactive problem-solving, we’ve fostered a culture of innovation that aligns closely with the people we aim to support.” says Steven.