Merveille Shungu is empowering Congolese women through sustainable farming to fight hunger, poverty, and climate change.
Merveille Shungu is an agripreneur and the founder of Agro Congo Business (ACB), a social enterprise she launched in 2019 in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. Armed with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health, she set out to address three major problems affecting her country: food insecurity, rural poverty, and the underrepresentation of women in agriculture. Her solution was to build a business that produces and markets locally grown crops like maize, soybeans, peanuts, tomatoes, and peppers, while empowering rural women to lead the charge in sustainable farming.
Agro Congo Business
Agro Congo Business is an agricultural company based in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that focuses on producing and marketing locally grown crops such as maize, soybeans, peanuts, tomatoes, and peppers. The business supports households, businesses, and institutions by providing access to locally produced food items, aiming to reduce reliance on imports and address procurement challenges in the region.
Through Agro Congo Business, Shungu initiated a key programme titled “Empowerment of Women Farmers for Sustainable Agriculture,” which focuses on equipping women farmers with the tools and knowledge they require to become self-reliant. The programme offers regular training on modern farming techniques, crop management, and agricultural entrepreneurship, with additional sessions on financial management, marketing, and accessing local and regional markets. To ensure these lessons translate into action, she provides women with improved seeds, organic fertilisers, modern farming equipment, and microcredit financing to assist them in starting or expanding their farms.
The businesswoman’s approach also involves forming women-led cooperatives, which enhance collective bargaining power and open up better opportunities for distribution and sales. In these cooperatives, experienced women farmers are paired with newcomers to build confidence, share knowledge, and strengthen community ties. Her work also promotes climate-resilient practices like agroforestry and crop rotation, ensuring that while farmers increase productivity, they also preserve soil health and adapt to changing environmental conditions.
Impact on the fields
Women like Rebecca Kombe from Nyiragongo have experienced changes in their lives since joining the programme. Rebecca has gained access to quality seeds, appropriate tools, technical guidance, and business advice through Agro Congo Business.
Agro Congo Business also reduces the DRC’s heavy reliance on costly imported goods and aids in combating malnutrition in vulnerable communities. Shungu’s work is particularly impactful in the Goma region. Her model nourishes families and enhances economic independence among rural women, positioning them as agents of change in their communities.
Shungu’s vision is long-term. She collaborates with local NGOs to help scale the project’s reach, whilst her business model continues to evolve based on community needs.
