KASEMPA ORPHANAGE GETS A BOOST THROUGH LIVESTOCK RESTOCKING EXERCISE

Representatives of beneficiary cooperatives in Kabompo

Making farming a business is a priority that the government continues to aggressively promote in Zambia. It is through farming that the economies of rural communities can be stimulated to grow and remain sustainable.

 For the livestock sub-sector in particular, the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock has embarked on an ongoing livestock stocking and restocking exercise with the aim of improving rural household incomes and playing its role in making farming a business. 

Through the Enhanced Livestock Investment Program (ESLIP), the Ministry intends to compensate the sub-sector for the losses it has incurred through various livestock diseases over the years while at the same time working towards improving livestock production systems. 

National Livestock Insurance Index Launched

A herd of cattle free-grazing

To say that 2020 has been one of the most unpredictable years in a long while, would be understatement. The COVID 19 pandemic coupled with increasingly visible effects of climate change has made planning for beyond 2021 slightly harder. This has proven to be true for the agriculture sector. 

While climate change has drastically affected the rainfall patterns as seen in recent farming seasons and enabled the outbreaks of disease and pestilences; the COVID 19 pandemic has disrupted some of the agriculture value chains and hence affected the income of many farmers.

With regard to the changing climate, scientists say that the developing world will be most affected by this growing environmental crisis, with smallholder rural farmers being among those who will be most affected.

The Ministry of Agriculture has undertaken strategies to enhance the adoption of agriculture insurance among smallholder farmers.

Through the Farmer Input Support Program (FISP), the Ministry of Agriculture has compelled FISP beneficiaries

PROJECT OWNERSHIP:A Success Story from Nakonde

Muleuke Weir in Nakonde district, Muchinga Province

Project ownership is integral to the sustainability of the goals and objectives of interventions that are implemented in rural communities. One effective way to achieve this is through community participation which involves communities identifying solutions to their problems and what they are willing to do to implement those solutions.

Community participation assures not only ownership but also accountability and the opportunity to the share benefits of the resources that many rely on.

GOVERNMENT FOSTERS ANIMAL HEALTH IN KATETE

Anderson Banda - one of the two forage seed growers in Katete

In 2012, the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (then the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock) projected that the demand for beef would increase from  120,000 metric tons in 2012, to 600,000 by 2027 (www.ageconsearch.umn.edu ) It was further projected that with the then prevailing production and marketing conditions, there would be a supply gap of approximately 320,000 metric tons. As such it was inevitable that strategies be established to enable small scale cattle farmers step-up and meet the demand deficit which was identified.

Some of the objectives would include improving the quality of cattle being reared so as to assure quality beef and; also to rear these cattle in a climate-friendly manner.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about 42% of livestock contributions to climate change is from enteric fermentation

"Our destiny is to serve our farmers," FAO Zambia Rep's Farewell Message to Zambia

Dr George Okechi (far left) has served as FAO Zambia Country Representative since 2013

Having served as FAO Country rep to Zambia for 7 years, one can be tempted to forget that the day would come for Dr. George Okech to bid farewell and proceed to the next best thing that life has to offer him.

Having chosen a career in veterinary medicine, Dr. Okech noticed a disconnect between research findings and the information that was filtering into farming community. It is from here that his passion to make a difference in the livestock subsector grew.

“I really wanted to research ideas to really get into the communities…once you get results from the research institutions, they need to be disseminated by extension officers which we call transfer of technology…So I decided for myself that I really wanted to go and be that part of the transfer of knowledge,” Dr. Okech said.

This drive to share knowledge led him to leave his then job as a civil servant in Kenya and join OXFAM who appointed him to work in South Sudan as a Food Security Coordinator with a bias towards the livelihood aspect that is related to livestock production.

After 3 years, he was recruited by FAO in 2001.