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Agriculture
The government is presently introducing the Agricul-
tural Marketing Bill, which is intended to enhance the
access of small-scale farmers to markets and ensure
that transactions take place in a fair and responsible
manner. The Bill will also include provisions for ware-
house receipts; which will allow farmers to access
finance, borrow against the value of their produce,
and enable them to purchase inputs for the subse-
quent farming season.
Irrigation and Water Conservation Technology
Zambia’s crop production is largely rainfall depend-
ent with a distinct production season running from
November to April. Rainfall is the major determinant
of crop performance in any given year, and with
changing weather conditions more likely in the face
of global warming, government is emphasising de-
creased dependence on rain-fed agriculture. There
is therefore a growing emphasis on developing water
conservation and irrigation technologies.
The scaling up of more efficient conservation ori-
ented agricultural practices can serve the twin pur-
pose of increasing food production, by increasing ef-
ficiency, and mitigating the effects of climate change.
The government is to spend US$ 50 million on an
Irrigation Development and Support Project (IDSP)
in the Southern, Copperbelt and Central provinces,
financed by a loan from the World Bank. The sec-
ond phase of the project will look at developing the
Lumwana and Kasama irrigation sites in the North-
Western and Northern provinces. The project is
being executed under a Public-Private Partnership
(PPP) agreement.
Zam contains around 40 percent of the water re-
sources of the Southern African region, thereby cre-
ating huge irrigation potential-AGR-ZAM-EBZ11
Furthermore, a number of initiatives have begun to
investigate means of conserving water. Through its
Conservation Farming Unit, the Zambia National
Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) is helping farmers dig water-
harvesting basins, a simple and cheap technique for
collecting excess water for drinking or irrigation. The
water is usually retained in small dams, manually
dug basins or huge underground storage tanks.
In southern Zambia, the Water Harvesting Project
is encouraging livestock farmers in Choma to dig
ditches that collect rain runoff from roofs. The result
is a series of rain collection reservoirs. Sand dams
are being advocated for by the non-governmental
organization Sahelian Solutions. Blocking dry river-
beds via the construction of a concrete dam creates
sand dams. Over time sediment accumulating at the
bottom of the dam helps catch rainwater during the
rainy season and prevents evaporation during the
dry season.
Irrigation Pivots
Conservation Farming
Some of the benefits of conservation farming include
reduced soil erosion and better rainfall infiltration
as well as improved timeliness of land preparation.
The aim is for 50 percent of all farmers in Zambia to
have access to conservation agriculture technology
by 2015.
The European Union (EU) has provided about € 7.5
million to support conservation farming in Zambia for
the period of 2009 to 2011. The funding covers 12
districts and targets 58,000 farmers. For the 2009/10
season, with the support of the Norwegian govern-
ment, 189,000 farmers are using conservation agri-
culture technology according to programmes under
the Conservation Farming Unit of the ZNFU and
42,000 farmers under the Ministry of Agriculture.
About 7,000 farmers are also supported under Com-
munity Markets for Conservation (COMACO).
Livestock and Fisheries Initiatives
The livestock and fisheries subsectors play an im-
portant role in improving the livelihoods of not only
small-scale farmers but also the greater population
at large. The recent creation of a specialized Ministry
of Livestock and Fisheries Development will ensure
that this vital subsector receives focused attention.
The potential of the livestock subsector is immense,
and is being supported through targeted interven-
tions aimed at controlling the spread of animal dis-
ease and improving veterinary services. The tackling
of livestock diseases is of utmost importance to ena-