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Download Press Release - Royal Norwegian Embassy, Lusaka
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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.