Download Press Release - Royal Norwegian Embassy, Lusaka

Press Release
The Royal Norwegian Embassy strengthens Partnership with
Programme Against Malnutrition (PAM) for Climate Smart
Agriculture Support Aimed at Empowering Women
On 21st September 2015, the Royal Norwegian Embassy strengthened its
partnership with the Programme Against Malnutrition (PAM), a Zambian NGO with
many years’ of experience in food and nutrition security. For 2 ½ years PAM
successfully implemented the innovative pilot project called, “Empowering Women in
Senanga and Gwembe Districts through Agricultural Support (E-WAS)” which came
to an end in August 2015 and was supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy with
total funding of K7 million.
In the same month of September 2015, world leaders unanimously adopted the new
sustainable development agenda that comprise 17 goals among them to end poverty,
reduce inequality and to address challenges of climate change. We are all aware that
the agriculture sector remains a priority sector in achieving sustainable economic
growth and for reducing poverty in Zambia and yet the sector is the most vulnerable
to the negative effects of climate change. The majority of the rural population
particularly women, depend on the agriculture sector for their livelihood and their lack
of resources and knowledge combined with heavy dependence on the natural
environment, means that their ability to adapt to and mitigate the adverse effects of
climate change are minimal.
The post 2015 Sustainable Development
Goals
place
sustainability,
great
emphasis
environmental
on
integrity,
social equality and economic prosperity
as being central to human progress.
Unless Zambia understands the impact of
climate change on women as well as the
importance of their agency, addressing
the multidimensional threats of climate change will be unattainable. In this vain, the
E-WAS project takes deliberate effort to empower women who make up more than
70 % of the agricultural labour force so that they can adapt and mitigate the negative
effect of climate change. Gwembe and Senanga districts were chosen because they
are highly vulnerable to food insecurity and climate change. The pilot phase revealed
that female farmers in these two districts have the ability to overcome these
challenges. But what was also evident is that there is need for more time and more
targeted interventions according to the different capacities of the various farmers to
help them develop sustainable practices hence the need for continued up-scaled
efforts in these two marginalized and food insecure districts.
During the pilot phase, small scale female farmers were able to improve their
gardening techniques and to secure preservation of valuable produce. By employing
conservation farming and using motorized irrigation technologies, the female farmers
increased production of various crops such as cabbage, tomato, pumpkin leaves,
okra, beans and orange maize which contributed to improved nutrition and household
income. Fruit tree seedlings were planted to increase sources of micro nutrients while
musangu seedlings were planted in the farmer fields to improve soil fertility and
reduce land degradation. By the end of Phase I, a total of 3 829 musangu seedlings
covering 153 hectares of the fields were reported to be surviving. In addition,
improved energy efficient stoves were promoted to reduce deforestation and the time
that women spend looking for firewood because the clay stove uses only small twigs
and food is cooked in a very short time in comparison to using the traditional brazier.
The
E-WAS
project
interventions
contribute to government policy priorities
for attainment of the Vision 2030 of
becoming a prosperous middle - income
economy. The Vision will be attained
when there is gender equity and when
NGOs,
the
private
sector
and
government work together to harness
their various strengths. The project shows the need for and relevance of NGOs in
promoting issues highlighted in national development plans relating to economic
diversification, environmental protection and development of a
sustainable
agricultural sector; the recognition of the challenges of small scale farmers, and the
need for gender responsive programming. It is hoped that lessons-learned during EWAS Phase I will become integrated in mainstream government practices and
programmes in the agricultural sector.
PAM and the Royal Norwegian Embassy recognize that albeit women are the most
vulnerable to the effects of climate change, they greatly contribute to household food
security and family welfare. The detrimental effects of prolonged dry spells; drought
and floods compounded by the gradual degradation of the environment due to
deforestation continue to affect female farmers’ capacity to improve their food and
nutrition status and welfare. Their situation is compounded by the gender socioeconomic inequalities that limit the level to which they benefit from opportunities in
agriculture.
Norway’s continued support to Senanga and Gwembe districts under “Empowering
Women in Western and Southern Provinces through Agricultural Support Project (EWAS) Phase II” will contribute to increased agricultural diversification and nutritional
security which are of great importance to the wellbeing of Zambians and continued
economic
growth.
With
the
total
financial support equivalent to K7.5
million over the next two years; PAM
will scale up the transfer of climate
smart technologies among small scale
farmers in Senanga and Gwembe
districts. The small livestock pass-on
scheme will reach 1 500 households,
home gardens will be scaled up to ¼
ha from 10m x 10m plots while value addition will be scaled up to cottage level with
female farmers packaging and marketing peanut butter, preserved vegetables and
processed cassava and orange maize products among other value added products.
Further, conservation farming (CF) trained farmers will employ CF skills in fruit and
vegetable production and tree planting while selected households will be engaged in
seed multiplication. The overall goal of the project is to improve the livelihoods of
women farmers through increased incomes and resilience to the effects of climate
change. The expected outcomes are commercialization of garden products; improved
household food and nutrition security, increased on-farm productivity and household
incomes; enhanced resilience to the effects of climate change and enhanced female
farmers’ access and control of productive resources. A total of 4,550 rural farmers
are expected to benefit from the project which will be implemented in collaboration
with government and collaborating partners such as Non - Governmental
Organization Coordinating Council, Legal Aid Clinic, National Food and Nutrition
Commission, Conservation Farming Unit, National Institute for Scientific and
Industrial Research, COMACO, Zambia Energy and Environmental Organization, INS
Technology and HarvestPlus in promoting gender, nutrition, conservation farming,
food security, value addition and market access.