Comaco urges closer ties among rural communities

EXTENSIVE collaboration should be promoted among rural communities if they are to effectively contribute to the country’s economic growth, says a gender expert from Community Market for Conservation (COMACO).

Mary Tembo, a senior COMACO gender coordinator said communities in rural areas had the potential to contribute to the national economy but this was not possible unless there was teamwork and extensive engagement among them.

Addressing community builders during training on Gender in Value Chain in Chitaza village in Chief Mpezeni’s area on Thursday, Ms Tembo said the country was posed for a robust transformation if farmers considered extensive collaboration at house hold level.

“Happiness in families brings about development in the communities. Women are there to inspire and support men while working together. She said development was highly inÀuenced by people’s social interaction and abilities to communicate messages with clarity for positive change in their environment. “There is an African proverb that says one single finger cannot kill a lice, now this tells us the need to recognise how the farming business operates. At any given time and stage someone has to take a leading role supported by other stakeholders who could be husband and children maybe the extended family included,” explained Mrs Tembo.

She said the country’s Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP) would make an impact when grassroots were placed and encouraged to strengthen their ties.

Meanwhile, COMACO is one of the country’s largest network of farmers with over 177 000 registered members. It operates in more than 72 chiefdoms across 14 districts.

The organisation encourages rural farming communities to practice organic farming in Zambia.