From byproducts to profits
The transformation of Temwani Women’s Weavers Development Club, who are now using cotton husks to grow mushrooms.
Master weaver Gringo Mulambya training women weavers (Photo: Martha Makina)
Until recently, Temwani Women’s Weavers Development Club in Eastern province in Zambia operated as a small, informal weaving group with low earnings, limited skills and no structured business strategy. Cotton byproducts such as husks were discarded as waste, and members lacked the technical knowledge, financial capacity or market connections needed to expand beyond basic weaving.
Incomes were modest, inconsistent and insufficient to strengthen household resilience, especially for women-headed households or those supporting farming families affected by recurring dry spells.
Forest and Farm Facility activities
In late 2024, both directly and indirectly through support to the Cotton Association of Zambia (CAZ), the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) provided targeted business incubation and value-addition support to address the constraints facing the Temwani Women’s Weavers Development Club.
This financial support allowed the club to commission training in good governance and constitution development, which enabled clearer decision making and better organisation of production activities.
Technical training delivered through CAZ introduced mushroom production using cotton husk waste as a substrate, transforming a previously discarded residue into a commercially viable product input. Additional training in product-quality improvement, enterprise management and zero-waste production practices enabled the club to utilise residues for compost and briquettes.
FFF finance also facilitated a market survey in 2024 that led to the identification of new buyers, expanding the club’s reach beyond local markets for the first time.
Significance of impact
Significant impacts include measurable increases in women’s income, enterprise diversification and resilience. Mushroom production rose sevenfold in 2024, from 56kg at the start of the year to 389kg at the end, raising income from US$212 to $1,500 within one production cycle. Combined earnings from mushrooms reached $1,826 annually, while improved weaving generated an additional $783.
As a result, all 26 active members of Temwani Women’s Weavers Development Club received direct cash benefits ($42 each from mushrooms and $26 from weaving), creating stronger and more reliable income flows. Importantly, mushroom production became a critical buffer during the severe 2024 drought, supporting household food security when field crops failed.
Conclusion
FFF’s market-linking support has enabled the women to secure diversified higher-value buyers, stabilised sales with better market access, and generated funds to reinvest in their enterprise.
Zero-waste practices also improved efficiency, reduced production losses and introduced new income lines such as compost and briquettes.
Strengthened governance and improved skills also enhanced the women’s leadership and participation in enterprise decision making.
Further reading
Forest and Farm Facility 2023 annual report: climate resilient landscapes and improved livelihoods, Forest and Farm Facility (2024)
Boosting community forestry and agroforestry businesses: field lessons learned for improving and upscaling returns from FFPO initiatives in Africa, Vincent Ziba, Gordon Manu, Sophie Grouwels, Lwanga Malwa, Duncan Macqueen (2024), FAO, Rome