Agric rural Mumbwa ladies empowered

The Zambia Alliance for Women (ZAW) executives says women were tought not only in Climate Smart Agriculture and Sustainable dietary but also crop diversification to help them to face the new normal skills to alleviate poverty

By Francis Maingaila
Lusaka (23-06-2020) The Zambia Alliance for Women (ZAW) is in Mumbwa training women not only in climat Agriculture and Sustainable dietary but also in crop diversification that will help farmers to face the new normal with skills to alleviate poverty.
ZAW executive director  Edah Chimya told journalists in voice statement that her organisation took advantage of the draught that hit the area in the last farming season to teach farmers the advantage of growing other crops that are drought resistance to the make the area food secure.
Chimya observed that some parts of Mumbwa are not food secure due to crop failure resulting from the drought experienced in the area.
Chimya said with Support from SIDA through NGOCC basket fund, under the Theme: increased resilience and productivity through climate smart agriculture,  the ZAW working in collaboration with Community Based Organization (CBO’s) and government through Ministry of Agriculture is teaching farmers agriculture conservation skills to enable then grow enough crops not food but also for sale to enable them have enough contingent funds.
Similar Programs Manager Ceasar Katabe ZAW is training women groups in various part of Mumbwa District in smart agriculture  that will not only help to alleviate poverty but also ensure food security goals are reached in the district.
Katebe also indicated that climate smart agriculture will also help to reduce green house emissions in the air.
Katebe is of the view that agriculture as an economic foundation not only employs more that 60% of the workforce in the country but is also responsible of 30% of the Gross Domestic Produce.
Katebe implored the government to adopt strong adoption measures to help the farmers cope with the current agriculture situation under the new normal.
And Violate Malama, Board Member at ZAW said teaching agriculture survive skills under the new normal was the best gift her organisation could give t women.
Malama said not only ZAW want the people to understand practice  agriculture is busines but also that mastering the art of climate smart agriculture was key to poverty alleviation.
She said  ZAW also teaching crop diverstating to assist farmers come up with alternative crop that are not drought resistant but nutritious which can fetch them cash in this economic hardship caused by COVID-19.
She observed that many people were scared not only to meet in large numbers but also experiencing reduced number of people seeking their farms their products.
As this was not enough, Malama observed the prices have for the farm produces have tremendously gone up because the changes in the way of doing which has taken place in the recent past.
He said COVID-19 has extremely affected the farming produce because the farmers are not free to gather in large groups in market places where they are to sell their products.
Malama understands that farmers have also been affected by the COVID-19 and are havjbg difficulties in accessing the markets but with varied crop production markets will provide itself.
Meanwhile  Zambia Social Forum  representative Katongo Bwalya said the initiative of empowering women was the missing link in the development triangle in rural districts like Mumbwa.
He said the new knowledge women have received will help them farmers to practice climate smart agriculture under the new normal.
He however observed that although practicing the measured especially practicing social distancing in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19 is not a problem for the people in villages, the rural communities would still meet  chlmallenges in practicing a hygiene life.
He said the farmers were not only finding it difficulties in accessing the markets  not only to sale their produce but also scared to access the market for fear of catching the COVID-19 virus.
And Annie Katongo is extremely happy happy that ZAW has taught the women in new agriculture adaptability mechanisms under new normal.
Among the measures taught to women is crop diversification which will enable farmers have double benefits.
In an event one crop fails, Katongo said the other crops which are more resilient to climate change will survive.
She said the women learnt that the importance of conservation agriculture will help to produce more benefits.
Additionally, Loveness Mweemba said one lesson learnt from the Climate smart agriculture is that it will help the farmers find market for their produces.
She said COVID-19 has prevented people to go the market to sale their products.
As a result, the people have no option but to sale their produce to at a lower prices to quickly get rid of the produce.