By BUUMBA CHIMBULU
THE Zambian Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) in partnership with Jersey Overseas Aid Commission (JOA) has formed a partnership to help strengthen financial systems and improve access to financial services for smallholder farmers.
The four-year partnership will provide strategically targeted grants to organisations tackling the lack of access to financial services for improving smallholder farmer resilience and productivity in Zambia.
The main purpose of the partnership is was to discuss the improvement of smallholder farmer resilience and productivity in Zambia.
The Executive Director of JOA, Simon Boas joined the workshop virtually expressed confidence in the project’s success.
“The implementing partners to diligently play their role and address the key critical risk management needs for smallholder farmers engaged in the selected crops and livestock,” Mr Boas said.
Head of Department for Agribusiness and Marketing from the Ministry of Agriculture, Nkumbu Nalwimba, provided assurance to the discussion that the Ministry of Agriculture will be involved in the second phase of this programme.
“There are a lot of farmers under the farmer networks and structures that can benefit from agriculture insurance.
“Leveraging the outcomes and lessons learned under the FISP programme, the Ministry of Agriculture was happy to be engaged in the inclusive Crop Insurance Scheme (ICIS) especially that evidently the product offers more client value in terms of benefits,” Dr Nalimba said.
The biggest challenge is scale and the government structures at field extension officer and lead farmer levels would help with the promotions and consumer education.
The role of the Ministry of Agriculture in this partnership is likely to involve raising awareness among smallholder farmers and extension officers, oversight provision and facilitating of access to crop insurance.
FSD Zambia is collaborating with Jersey Overseas Aid Commission (JOA) on the design and pilot testing on an inclusive livestock insurance scheme.
The objective of the grant off meeting was to clearly outline the roles and expectations for each implementing partner.
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