ZARI HELPS 20,000 FARMERS BOOST MAIZE YIELDS FOURFOLD

The Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI) says a set of agriculture technologies rolled out to 20,000 farmers in Katete and Lundazi Districts has increased maize yields from about 1.5 tonnes per hectare to about 6.5 tonnes per hecter.
ZARI Principal Agriculture Research Officer Geofrey Siulemba says this has been done through a three-year project dubbed; “Sustainable Integrated Land Management Solutions.”
Mr. Siulemba says the increased crop yields has translated into more income for about 20,000 families in the two Districts.
He says the 12-million Euros project which comes to an end this year is funded by the Swedish Government through the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV).
And Mr. Siulemba says ZARI and its partners will make an effort to replicate the project countrywide so that the benefits spill -over to smallholder farmers who are known to contribute about 80-percent to the country’s food basket.
He said this on the side-lines of a farmers field day refresher training exercise at Katete Agriculture Training Centre in Katete.
ZARI will also undertake a similar training exercise in Lundazi on Friday.

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