Farmers’ Club

Zambia has great potential to become a breadbasket for the sub-region, owing to its vast fertile land, abundant water resources and a good climate. However, of the 58 percent of the land suitable for agricultural production, only 14 percent is currently under cultivation. Small-scale farm production in the country is often not sufficient to meet household-level nutritional needs, nor is it sufficient to produce a surplus that can be sold in local or other markets. Moreover, even in some circumstances where small-scale farmers produce surplus crops for sell, they find it difficult to market their produce.

The causes for such situations are multifaceted. Firstly, there is under-utilization of low-cost irrigation systems among small-scale farmers to increase food production due to poor income and ignorance. In addition, farmers do not have the capacity to engage in improved farming methods in order to increase their yield per unit area. Furthermore, farmers have problems in marketing their produce due to poor market linkages.

Thus, DAPP implements Farmers’ Club Programme to harness the great agricultural potential Zambia has through capacity building and provision of resources to farmers to engage in sustainable crop and animal production and subsequently improve food security and income for the small-scale farmers and their families.

The programme is divided into two:- the Small-scale Irrigation Projects being implemented in Central and Copperbelt Provinces and the Food Security, Income and Gender Mainstreaming Projects being implemented in Southern Province.  

Small-scale Irrigation Projects
The projects aim at improving food security and income among small-scale farmers through the promotion of gardening and low cost irrigation systems using rope and treadle pumps and motorised pumps, and by connecting the farmers to microfinance institutions and possible markets for their agricultural produce.

The projects are implemented in four districts of Chingola and Masaiti in Copperbelt Province and Kapiri-Mposhi and Mkushi in Central Province reaching 5, 000 small-scale farmers.

The farmers are organised in 100 clubs of 50 members per club and are trained by DAPP staff and Camp Ecxtension Officers from the Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives in improved farming methods to improve soil fertility and crop yields, reduce loss of harvested crops to pests and poor storage, and crop diversification.

The Farmers are also receiving cash loans from the Christian Enterprise Trust of Zambia (CETZAM), to buy low-cost irrigation equipment and other agricultural inputs like fertilisers, pesticides, seed, etc.

Farmers’ Club Southern Province
The projects aim to improve food security, income and gender mainstreaming in Kalomo and Choma Districts. The projects strengthen agricultural activities by training 8,000 small-scale farmers in improved land and livestock management.

Farmers are connected to the private sector in order for them to access agricultural inputs and market their produce. In cooperation with CETZAM, a micro-credit institution, the projects provide farmers with agri-investment loans. The projects work with traditional leaders and civil society to improve sharing of workload and decision-making powers between women and men.

The projects are run in the former Child Aid project areas and build on the structures established and the knowledge provided to the farmers previously – including management of revolving loans of livestock and grains provided to village actions groups in the past.

For achievements of the Small-scale Irrigation Projects in 2010 click here to download the DAPP annual report for 2010.