Zambia: small changes deliver big results for farmers

Posted on 24 June 2016, this new Voices and views on Capacity4dev features video interviews and testimonies of farmers and agricultural officers involved in the Conservation Agriculture Scaling Up (CASU) programme in Zambia. CASU is a four year project funded through the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) at a total cost of €11 million, implemented by the FAO and the Zambian Ministry of Agriculture. This project builds on gains made by previous EU supported activities in Zambia. The aim of the project is to increase the number of farmers adopting conservation agriculture across 31 districts in Zambia and the chosen route is peer-to-peer learning.

One of the yield-boosting methods being introduced by conservation agriculture is the use of deep rip lines instead of conventional ploughing, to prepare the soil for planting. By not tearing up all the earth, moisture is better retained even when rains are poor and fewer fertilizers are needed as they focus in areas where it’s needed most. Farmers are reaping the results of their hard work and keen to learn more ways to improve their agricultural practices.

Although some farmers are very optimistic about conservation agriculture, recent studies show that its adoption at country level is still low. The CASU project and other cooperating partners supporting conservation agriculture in Zambia have already taken action to mitigate these constraints to increase conservation agriculture’s adoption rate. In the 2015/16 season, 500 CASU farmers accessed credit for agricultural inputs and weather-indexed insurance and 33 farmer cooperatives signed forward delivery contracts for marketing their produce. In the coming season, CASU will test local seed multiplication systems, innovative private sector mechanization business models as well as affordable private sector lending schemes to help farmers upgrade their equipment. The CASU project is convinced that once pending limitations have been fully resolved, this sustainable crop farming technique will fully benefit Zambia's population.