Meheba community empowered with vegetable production skills

ASSOCIATED Aid for Relief-Japan (AAR-Japan) has empowered 175 community members of the local integration area in Meheba settlement.

The members have been empowered with vegetable production capacity.

AAR-Japan Field Coordinator, Joseph Chiluba, said the empowerment programme is aimed at improving the living standards of former refugees and Zambians in the local integration area.

“We are building capacity for vegetable production especially for okra, green beans, butternuts, ginger, cucumbers and carrots. Market research has shown us that these are crops that are highly marketable and are on demand,” Mr. Chiluba said.

He was speaking in Kalumbila today at a three-day capacity building workshop on vegetable production in Meheba’s Block D.

Mr. Chiluba said the production of the mentioned vegetables will help meet the demand of supermarkets and mine contractors in the district.

He disclosed that his organisation will provide seeds and pesticides to beneficiaries to ease the process of vegetable production as well as link them to available markets.

And Kalumbila District Agricultural Coordinator, Emmanuel Ndonyo, who was in the area to familiarise himself with agricultural activities, emphasised that agriculture is a business that requires a lot of planning. “Before you start growing anything, first know that agriculture is a business. Farmers should be able to think of planning, value-addition and marketing,” Mr. Ndonyo said.

He also urged the farmers to consider diversification by taking advantage of the

Constituency Development Fund (CDF). “Information on the CDF is also very useful to farmers. Solicit for funds to purchase oil making machines from CDF, diversify by producing cooking oil from sunflower or groundnuts,” he said.

Mr. Ndonyo further encouraged the farmers not to give up but to work hard as agriculture is also a way of improving livelihoods.

Meanwhile, Meheba Block Agricultural Officer, Daniel Chikwanda, said his office will assess the challenges that beneficiaries may face on the ground. -