Southern African countries find themselves at a crossroads regarding how they navigate food security by capacitating smallholders. As the year ends, the agriculture season begins in earnest with land preparation, and governments are racing to ensure available arable hectarage is ready for planting. In Zambia, agencies are incorporating land preparation into the climate resilience agenda where innovative farming practices will ensure conservation of water.
The United Nations, Development Programme launched the Strengthening climate resilience of agricultural livelihoods in Agro-Ecological Regions I and II, which seek among other things to ensure land preparation is part of climate resilience to strengthen the capacity of farmers to plan for climate risks.
According to a UNDP briefing, the project is funded by the Green Climate Fund and implemented by the Zambian Ministry of Agriculture, and will support approximately 940 000 people. Agriculture experts say despite the recurring droughts that have hit Zambia in recent years, local smallholder farmers have not abandoned their land.
“Since the advent of climate changeinduced droughts and weather unpredictability that have been frequent in the recent past, smallholder farmers have learnt the art of early land preparation so that they plant as soon as it rains,” said Friday Phiri, an agriculture communications specialist based in Lusaka.
“From my experience, the majority of smallholder farmers in Zambia no longer require any government push to prepare their land,” Friday said. While other southern African countries are encouraging smallholders to actively
participate in the agriculture sector by proving inputs such as seeds and fertiliser, in Zambia the UNDP initiative has established farmer field schools and learning centres to instruct farmers on land preparation up to harvest storage.
“I would not say there are tangible incentives being offered (by government), other than increased awareness and improved weather information in recent years, which serves as an additional incentive for smallholder farmers to adequately prepare based on the rainfall forecast,” Friday added.
Zambia has dedicated private players in the agriculture sector who offer services such as land preparation. The country has not been spared the harsh realities of erratic rains, and while some farmers have lost the incentive to take up their sickles and hoes, agencies are upping efforts to assist farmers feed themselves, beginning with land preparation.
“A number of nongovernmental players in the agriculture sector, including the UN system, have been implementing various projects related to climate change adaptation and resilience under which land preparation is one of the sustainable agricultural practices being taught to farmers,” Friday said.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has launched the Sustainable Intensification of Smallholder Farming Systems (SIFAZ) where among other things smallholders are introduced to land preparation methods that the agency says are a response to excess water management. This is in response to the recent drought that reduced cereal harvest by 43 percent, while maize was 50 percent below average. The land preparation method involves planting crops on ridges maintained in subsequent seasons to avoid soil disturbance, and according to officials this a response to droughts that have left millions in Zambia requiring food assistance.
The land preparation project also emphasises soil health and ensures suitability to plant climate resilient cereals and legumes, FAO says. The UN agency says Zambia’s Sustainable Intensification Practices (SIPs) have been successfully implemented where the promotion of technologies tailored to their specific soil types and climate conditions are bearing fruits despite climate and drought concerns.
Early this year, President Hakainde Hichilema declared a national disaster and emergency due to the severe drought experienced in the 2023/24 agricultural season in some parts of the country. According to FAO, eight out of ten provinces were affected by the drought, triggering a demand for new approaches on how smallholders prepare for the cropping season.
