Samuel Mbewe
During the launch of the National Conservation Agriculture Baseline Survey and National Conservation Agriculture Framework, Dr. Chizumba Shepande, Director at the Ministry of Agriculture, challenged Zambian farmers to ramp up maize production to meet the growing demand for mealie-meal, particularly in neighboring markets like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Dr. Shepande expressed concern over the ongoing smuggling of maize and mealie-meal to Congo, despite Zambia’s potential to increase its production and fulfill the market’s needs.
He noted that while countries like South Africa are preparing to supply the DRC, Zambian farmers have a unique opportunity to capitalize on this demand.
By producing more maize for export, Zambia could boost its foreign exchange earnings, benefiting both farmers and the national economy.
Dr. Shepande’s remarks came as part of the launch event for national efforts to promote Conservation Agriculture (CA) practices. This initiative is seen as a key component in improving agricultural productivity and sustainability in the country.
In support of these efforts, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has reaffirmed its commitment to helping the Government of Zambia increase the adoption of Conservation Agriculture, particularly among smallholder farmers.
Ronald Msoni, an Agronomist at FAO, highlighted that the current adoption rate of CA remains low, at less than 30%.
To address this, FAO is working alongside the Ministry of Agriculture under the EU-funded Sustainable Intensification of Smallholder Farmers (SIFAZ) project.
The initiative is operational in 27 districts across five provinces, aiming to train over 20,000 smallholder farmers on conservation agriculture techniques through the SIFAZ and SCRALA projects.
Meanwhile, Dailesi Judge, Chairperson of the Climate Alliance, raised concerns about the vulnerability of Zambia’s agriculture sector, which contributes approximately 20% to the national GDP.
Judge pointed out that the sector’s reliance on rain-fed agriculture makes it highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change. These challenges threaten the sector’s stability and its ability to meet both domestic and export demands.
As Zambia looks to strengthen its agricultural output, the focus remains on overcoming these climate-related challenges, enhancing farming techniques, and increasing production to tap into regional markets such as the DRC.
