Mon, 24 Apr 2017 10:47:34 +0000
By SANDRA MACHIMA
A DELIBERATE effort to educate local farmers on new ways of farming to increase production is needed if they are to make a meaningful contribution towards agricultural diversification.
Zambian Agriculture and Rural Development Initiatives (ZARDI) has since taken a proactive approach to actualise Zambia’s agricultural potential, by encouraging more farmers to engage in various farming activities and diversify the sector.
ZARDI executive director Gilbert Mpanga said farmers were still in need of more knowledge and sensitisation if they were to contribute to economic development in the agriculture sector.
He said his organisation was targeting farmers that were willing to engage in various activities to increase their productivity.
Mr Mpanga saw the need for the local farmers to be empowered and motivated so that they had increased productivity and also motivate local farmers to venture into growing the crops that were on demand.
He said his organisation was on the ground in some parts of the country to organise and identify women clubs and youth groups whom it could work with.
Mr Mpanga appealed to the Government to fund more projects in the agriculture sector to enable more youths and women participate in gardening and other agricultural related activities that would boost economic development.
“It is vital that most of the farming activities are given much attention in terms of resources to enable them supply and meet the demand for value addition purposes,” he said.
He said Government’s commitment in showing interest in agriculture should be commended and the sector could bear fruits if farmers were fully equipped.
Mr Mpanga said strengthening the local agriculture sector would drive the country’s economic growth and enhance household and national food security.
He observed that farmers must vary their choice of crops to farm and should consider moving away from the traditional maize to include other options such vegetables and fruits.
Mr Mpanga appealed to the Zambian farmers to seriously work hard to meet the market demand, adding that once local farmers supplied quality products, foreign owned supermarkets would be buying vegetables from them instead of importing from other countries.
