“In the context of a changing climate in a primarily monocrop-based agriculture, as well as labor shortage and exit–particularly of the youth–from this sector, we wanted to promote crop diversification and mechanization as avenues for enhancing food security, nutrition, and income and livelihood options for Zambian smallholder farmers and their families.” This was the statement given by Dr David Chikoye, Director of IITA’s Southern Africa Hub, as he explained the theme of IITA’s exhibition at the 2014 National Agricultural and Commercial Show held in Lusaka, Zambia, from 30 July to August 4.
IITA’s exhibition theme this year is “Breaking new ground in agricultural research-for-development for food security, livelihoods improvement, and climate change mitigation.”
“The fact that Zambia is mainly maize based is worrying considering that the effects of climate change–particularly more severe droughts and shorter rainy season–is already taking a heavy toll on smallholder farmers, and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future,” Dr Chikoye added. “Without diversification or alternatives–this is like putting all your eggs in one basket. If the basket breaks, there go all your eggs.”
“But since maize is an intrinsic part of the people’s culture and diets, Zambia cannot do away with it. However, it is imperative that we let farmers know that there are practical and profitable diversification options that could complement maize. For example, in this year’s exhibition, we focused on value chains in cassava, soybean, and cowpea–the other ‘baskets’ that farmers can put their eggs in–that could go h and-in-h and with maize,” he expounded.
“Additionally, we are also promoting new crop production technologies and mechanization to address the issue of labor shortage in Zambia’s agricultural sector. Most of the country’s youths are now more interested in getting jobs in the cities and urban centers, leaving the fields in the h ands of the older-generation farmers and women. For these youths, they see agriculture as ‘dirty’ and back-breaking work, which is true given the current state of farm production in the country.”
“At our exhibition, we wanted to show that ‘back-breaking’ work should not always be the norm. Technologies, particularly mechanization, already exist to make farming a lot less laborious, less ‘dirty’, more efficient, and more profitable. We hope that as more farmers are made aware of these technologies and start deploying them in their fields, these will make agriculture more attractive and, consequently, give rise to a whole new generation of Zambian farmers employing modern production technologies,” added Dr Chikoye.
The Lusaka Agricultural and Commercial Show is an annual event in Zambia that draws thous ands of people from all walks of life. The show is considered to be one of the largest in the southern Africa region, with more than 200 exhibitors participating comprising private and public sector players, government entities, NGOs, seed and fertilizer companies, and farmers’ organizations and cooperatives, among many others, and showcasing the state-of-the-art in agricultural research and technologies and related commercial ventures. The IITA exhibition attracted about a thous and visitors during the 5-day event.
For more details, please contact: Jeffrey T. Oliver, j.oliver@cgiar.org
About IITA www.iita.org
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is one of the world’s leading research partners in finding solutions for hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. Its award-winning research for development (R4D) approach addresses the development needs of tropical countries. IITA works with partners to enhance crop quality and productivity, reduce producer and consumer risks, and generate wealth from agriculture. IITA is a non-profit organization founded in 1967 in Nigeria and governed by a Board of Trustees. IITA works on the following crops: cowpea, soybean, banana/plantain, yam, cassava, and maize. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.
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