Agriculture Groups Step Up Climate-Resilience Efforts for Zambia’s Small-Scale Farmers

Описание: Following severe climate shocks that disrupted Zambia’s 2023 and 2024 farming seasons, agricultural organisations are intensifying efforts to build long-term climate resilience among small-scale farmers.
While the 2025 farming season appears relatively more stable, experts warn that weather conditions remain unpredictable and far from fully normal, underscoring the continued risk posed by climate change to the country’s food systems.

Organisations including Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO), CLI-SMART Organic Farmers and Zambia Women in Agriculture Research and Development (ZWARD) are working directly with farmers to introduce practical, climate-smart solutions aimed at protecting livelihoods and strengthening resilience against future shocks.

Zambia’s agriculture sector is under growing pressure as erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts and declining soil health make it increasingly difficult for farmers—particularly smallholders to produce enough food or earn stable incomes. With more than 70 percent of the population dependent on agriculture, the need for climate-resilient farming practices has never been more urgent.

One of the organisations at the forefront of adaptation efforts is Community Markets for Conservation, widely known as COMACO. The organisation currently works with more than 350,000 small-scale farmers across Eastern, Muchinga, Northern and Luapula provinces, promoting conservation farming methods that rely on natural processes to restore soil fertility.

Kennedy Mafinge, COMACO’s sales manager, says farmers are being encouraged to plant Gliricidia sepium, a fast-growing tree that naturally fixes nitrogen in the soil. He explains that the practice reduces dependence on chemical fertilisers, improves yields and helps farmers cope with extreme weather conditions.

“These are farmers who grow their crops using conservation methods where they do not use chemical fertilisers,” Mafinge said. “They rely on a plant called Gliricidia sepium, which fixes nitrogen back into the soil. Farmers appreciate it because the yields are good, and they also conserve the surrounding vegetation instead of cutting down trees.”

At the grassroots innovation level, researcher and innovator Sayowa Mubita, co-founder of CLI-SMART Organic Farmers, says her start-up is empowering farmers through the use of organic fertilisers and space-saving vertical garden systems.

Mubita revealed that in one case, a farmer in Lusaka West increased vegetable production from about 500 to nearly 4,000 units using the same limited space after adopting a vertical hydroponic system.

“Our goal is to promote sustainable farming by advocating for and producing organic inputs,” Mubita said. “These organic fertilisers not only provide nutrients to the soil but also improve water retention during the droughts Zambia has been facing. We also promote vertical gardens to maximise production in small spaces.”

Meanwhile, Zambia Women in Agriculture Research and Development (ZWARD) is focusing on the scientific side of climate adaptation. Its chairperson, Dr. Nelly Phiri, who also works with the Seed Control and Certification Institute, emphasised the importance of climate-adapted seed varieties.

Dr. Phiri clarified that many of the seeds being promoted are not genetically modified but are bred from indigenous varieties to mature faster and withstand pests and changing climate conditions.
“Some of the seeds may be called hybrids, but not all of them are,” she explained. “Others are open-pollinated varieties bred to suit specific environments. Scientists are using genes from indigenous seeds to develop varieties that can adapt to current climate conditions, and this has nothing to do with GMOs.”

Together, conservation farming, grassroots innovation and scientific research are shaping a more resilient future for agriculture in Zambia one that is better prepared to withstand climate uncertainty while improving productivity and safeguarding small-scale farmers’ livelihoods.