FAO to empower 16,000 small holder farmers

FOOD and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) will next month start implementing a US$9 million project aimed at promoting sustainable smallholder farming in five provinces of Zambia.

According to FAO programme officer, Zuba Mwanza, the project, called Sustainable Intensification of Smallholder Farming Systems (SIFAZ), would target 16,000 small holder farmers in 27 districts in five provinces of Zambia.

Mr Mwanza said the project would be undertaken in partnership with Government and will be implemented in Northern, Copperbelt, Eastern, Southern and Western Provinces.

“SIFAZ is a five year programme being funded by the European Union through FAO as an implementing agency and will run from 2019 -2024,” he said.

Mr Mwanza said this in an interview with the Sun at the just ended 93rd Zambia Agriculture and Commercial Show in Lusaka. He said that a total of 8,800 men and 7,200 women would benefit from the project.

“Targeted areas for the beneficiaries of the SIFAZ are Northern Province, Copperbelt Province, Eastern Province, Southern province and Western province, we are hoping to reach 104 cooperatives and 598 agriculture camps,” he said.

The project, Mr Mwanza explained, was aimed at helping small scale farmers adopt new ways of farming or cultivating which would increase productivity and ensure food security in Zambia. Mr Mwanza said the SIFAZ project was also aimed at ensuring that gender mainstreaming was promoted all over the country.

“You can already see how this provides good opportunities for smallholder farmers to have their own crop production intensified or increased,” he said..

“This means that there is usually a lot more room for improvement in small holder farming compared to commercial farming,” Mr Mwanza.