CULTURAL FOOD HABITS ARE HINDERING CROP DIVERSIFICATION By Natasha Mhango

Girls in Zambezi district, North Western province, preparing cassava for processing 

Southern Province has been known to be the bread basket of Zambia. The province that fed the country.But during the last farming season, the Province was among the hardest hit by drought and disturbing testimonies of hunger were being reported through various media.

 “All crops on my farm failed – not only maize. So we are buying maize from the government sheds – that is what is helping me feed my family,” said Nathan Mubambasu  - a farmer from Magoye area in Mazubuka.

RICE DISSEMINATION PROJECT LAUNCHES EXTENSION MANUAL PACKAGE FOR FARMERS AND EXTENSION WORKERS By Natasha Mhango

In Zambia, rice is grown mostly by small scale farmers

As urbanization is constantly changing people’s food preferences, rice is a favorite alternative to nhsima in some Zambian homes. The aromatic varieties such as Nakonde, Chama and Mongu rice are the most popular among consumers. With expected population growth and per capita consumption, the increase in the demand for rice is inevitable.

According to the Second National Rice Development Strategy (2016 – 2020), Zambia has been producing about 44,500MT of paddy rice annually, (ie about  29,000MT in milled rice).But consumption stands at 60,000MT – indicative of a large deficit.

The Strategy further states that in recent years, Zambia has been importing between 5,000 – 20,000MT of milled rice mostly from East Asia.

However, the country has the potential for large scale rice production if deliberate efforts are made to address the challenges that many rice farmers – most of who are small scale – are facing.

Among some of the significant challenges these farmers confront is limited access to high quality seed, poor post-harvest practices and insufficient infrastructure.

Elly Siakasasa is the CEO of the Zambia Rice Federation, an organization that was formed to be the voice of active players in the rice value chain.

'BEYOND MAIZE' THROUGH WOMEN EMPOWERMENT By Natasha Mhango

"Women are key actors within the food system," (Kirk, et al.,September 2018)

Zambia’s agricultural sector is dominated by maize. About two thirds of cropped area is covered by the crop.Furthermore, maize production is largely dependent on rainfall making it vulnerable to changes in the weather patterns.

“Of the 1.5 million smallholders in Zambia, an estimated 89% grew maize in 2015 (CSO, et al.2016). Fewer than 80% of smallholder farmers cultivate three or fewer crops. The practice of crop diversification is still significantly low regardless of the visible effects of climate change and existing poor nutrition levels.

On August 22^nd, Hivos People Limited launched a discussion paper entitled Beyond Maize: Exploring agricultural diversification in Zambia from different perspectives.

'WOMEN FEED THIS COUNTRY' - PROF. LUO By Natasha Mhango

Fisheries & Livestock Minister, Nkandu Luo and; Chilanga MP Maria Langa undertaking a tour of the Department of Fisheries in Chilanga,Lusaka

Every year on Farmers’ Day - August 8th, the Ministry of Agriculture holds an award-giving ceremony to recognize and honor outstanding farmers from the all the provinces of Zambia. Attending the even in her new capacity as Fisheries and Livestock Minister, Nkandu Luo, made it clear tat women and youth were the key to agricultural transformation.

“Women are the people that feed this country,” Professor Luo said.

Her statement is made credible when one takes into consideration that “In Zambia, women constitute 64 percent of the rural population and approximately 80 percent of food producers,”

INCLUSIVE GROWTH -AN AVENUE FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT By Natasha Mhango

Robertson Tembo -Chairperson of the Copperbelt Organic Honey Cooperative which is a beneficiary of one of the ZATP grants 

The recently held Zambia International Trade Fair was conducted under the theme Inclusive Growth through Entrepreneurship. As Africa continues to be a net importer of agricultural products despite the continent possessing around 60% of arable land, one of the most plausible solution is to make agribusiness more inclusive to include the main producers ie. small scale farmers.

However, access to market continues to be a grave challenge for most small scale farmers in Zambia; and yet it is the key with which farmers can unlock the potential of their agricultural investments.

The theme for the 2019 ZITF compels many to question what can be done to enable the growth of agribusiness which is inclusive and creates an environment where access to credit for small scale farmers is also a significant impediment.

Some of the key elements of inclusive growth include: