For Patricia and many farmers like her, the climate crisis is an existential crisis. The 45-year-old farmer’s life has been turned upside down by a rise in extreme weather events, floods, prolonged droughts, pests and other crop diseases. And when a flood ripped through her home and destroyed her entire corn crop, Patricia and her family were pushed to the breaking point.
“We lost our crops. Everything was destroyed,” says Patricia.
Flooding in this part of Zambia is extremely rare – at least it used to be – and Patricia cannot remember a disaster of this scale in her lifetime.
“We are constantly hit by drought in this area. What should have been a blessing turned into a nightmare,” she laments.
Delivering on the SDGs
With much of Zambia’s rural population dependent on rain-fed agriculture, the negative impacts of the climate crisis are felt by all. While the country has made some progress economically, roughly half of the people are unable to meet their minimum calorie requirements and 35% of children are stunted, according to the World Food Programme.
So when extreme weather events upend hundreds of years of traditional agriculture practices, something needs to be done. Not just to transform the way people plant, but how the entire system works.
Enter conservation agriculture, an innovative approach being promoted through a United Nations-backed project known locally as the SCRALA project.
Funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) – and built in partnership with UNDP, WFP, FAO and the Government of Zambia – the project supports farmer field schools, climate resilient farming techniques and new income generating activities. The world’s largest dedicated climate fund, GCF is mandated to support developing countries achieve low-emissions, climate-resilient pathways.
Taken together with other locally driven climate actions, the project isn’t just building climate resilience for farmers like Patricia, it’s also accelerating the ambition of Zambia’s Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement and efforts to reduce poverty, end hunger and malnutrition, and build partnerships to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Boosting crop yields
The initiative promotes low-till farming alongside other environmentally friendly farming techniques. By rotating crops, adopting drought-tolerant plant varieties, and using certified seeds, the project is boosting crop yields and enhancing food security.
Conservation agriculture improves soil structure and protects soil against erosion and loss of nutrients. This makes for improved yields, even during droughts, and better ecosystem protections.
Along with new advanced planting techniques, Patricia has diversified her interests. Instead of relying solely on her corn crops, she now rears goats and cultivates vegetables. Her improved produce is fetching higher prices in the market.
Families who receive goats commit to hand over the offspring to other community members. This expands the project reach and enhances community solidarity and ownership to build long-term resilience.
Climate-smart agriculture
Christine Mudenda is another female farmer benefiting from the training, tools and techniques that are being advanced through the project. Christine has now adopted an inter-cropping technique to improve yields and ensure she has another crop to fall back on if and when the corn harvest fails.
“Using the knowledge I acquired from the training, I was able to produce a good yield last season - three tonnes of corn - for the first time in many years,” says Christine.
A few minutes’ drive away, Sera Simwemba is also using improved farming methods to tend to her large vegetable patch of onions, cabbages, lettuce, watermelon and tomatoes.
“My vegetable production has improved, and I’m growing enough to feed my family and sell the surplus,” she says proudly.
Scaling results
As a result of this intervention, conservation agriculture is now gaining popularity in all of the 16 districts targeted through the project.
To broaden its reach, the SCRALA project partners with community radio stations to broadcast key messages in local languages – including information on how farmers can grow other types of crops that require less water.
The techniques have also been promoted by extension officers in local languages on popular community radio programs run by the National Agricultural Information Services (NAIS), and farmers across the region are changing the way they plant, what they plant and how they bring their products to market with the support of the project.
With significant changes in traditional weather patterns, the project is also investing in improving climate information and early warning systems. This allows smallholder farmers to manage climate risks and plan for the future.
In Zambia, corn is King. And new advances in farming are yielding results. According to data from Zambia’s Ministry of Agriculture, the country is projected to produce an estimated 3.4 million metric tonnes of corn this year. This is far higher than last season’s crop production, which was just over 2 million tonnes.
“With the right conditions and targeted support, small-scale farmers can acquire vital knowledge and skills to enable them to adopt practical and durable solutions needed to adapt to climate change and put agriculture on a more sustainable and equitable footing and overcome extreme poverty in Zambia,” says Lionel Laurens, the UNDP Resident Representative in Zambia.
About UNDP
UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet.
About the Green Climate Fund
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the world’s largest dedicated climate fund. GCF’s mandate is to foster a paradigm shift towards low emission, climate resilient development pathways in developing countries. GCF has a portfolio of projects and programmes across more than 100 countries. It also has a readiness support programme to build capacity and help countries develop long-term plans to fight climate change. GCF is an operating entity of the financial mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and serves the 2015 Paris Agreement, supporting the goal of keeping average global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius.
Photos: UNDP
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