The Agriculture and Food Security Cluster of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in Zambia shows how synergies among different projects and partner organisations can help people to eat healthier, diversified food. A delegation of the Bonn based Division of Agriculture and Rural Development learned this in a field visit in the Eastern Province of the Southern African country.
GIZ is a globally active provider of international cooperation for sustainable development. It has more than 50 years of experience in a wide range of fields.
It is already dark, when our group arrives in a hot and humid South Luangwa National Park in the Eastern Province of Zambia. Insects of all kinds fly and scramble around, birds rustle and peep in the trees, frogs jump on their way to the close water of the Luangwa River, from where the noises of the hippos unmistakeably make clear that soon they will be starting their night tours.
It is only a short stop on the journey to Eastern Province, where Ralf Sanftenberg, Head of Division of Agriculture and Rural Development of GIZ in Bonn, together with GIZ country director of Zambia, Helmut Hauschild, the Cluster Coordinator, Dr Marco Hartmann, and the project leads Dr Heike Hoeffler as well as Elina Weber will visit several projects of the GIZ Agriculture and Food Security Cluster in Zambia.
Zambia has many assets, among them fertile lands, abundant water resources and work force in agriculture. However, current agricultural and food systems fail to provide sufficient, affordable and nutritious food for all, and destroy their very own ecological foundations.
Here, so close to the nature, it already feels as if it has swallowed us up. Indeed, during the night, one hippo passes by our rooms along the river. It sounds as if it wore giant, creaky rubber boots full of water, to then stop and shake the massive body with comfortable ease, since it knows it is his territory, while us, the guests, are not even daring to move.
Early in the morning, only a lot of traces on the riverbanks tell how much nocturnal animal traffic there was. A little hippo family is taking a bath on the other side of the river to then disappear in the woods, while a crocodile is doing its morning laps. It’s time to leave this spot which makes human existence seem even more precious.
First stop of our field visit is the Makungwa Dam, where GIZ project Fish for Food Security in Zambia (F4F) is implemented. It is one of eleven dam management committees with villages around, the project has supported. It started in 2019 and is implemented by GIZ under the Special Initiative “Transformation of Food and Agricultural Systems” of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The aim is to improve the access to sustainable fish products of the people facing food insecurity. The project trains the communities in the management of dams and small water bodies. This includes the prevention of bad fishing methods as with mosquito nets. The project advises to stop fishing from December 1st to March 1st for that the fish can recover and reproduce.
Nutrient-poor maize accounts for 80 percent of total food production in the country, leading to insufficient dietary diversity of the population. To improve not only the communities’ livelihoods by selling good fish products, but also the quality and diversity of the nutrition of the rural population, the project collaborates with Food and Nutrition Security Enhanced Resilient Project (FANSER). The aim of the project is to promote especially for pregnant women and babies to eat more fish and develop a healthier, more diverse diet. F4F also advises the communities to smoke or sundry the fish to be able to preserve it and make it accessible throughout the whole year.
Most of the men go fishing, while women normally sell the fish. Since they have additional duties in the households, they often risk to earn less money. The financial literacy trainings of the Global Project Promotion of Agricultural Finance for Agri-based Enterprises in Rural Areas (GP AgFin) (2016 - 2025) help the women to manage their products, keep record of their finances and maintain a stable income. Radio listening groups with solar powered radios promote healthy diets in the communities. The radios were distributed to the farmers and fishermen and women by the Global Programme Green Innovation Centres for the Agriculture and Food Sector (GIC). 1.200.000 people have been reached in Eastern Province trough three radio stations and solar powered radios.
To learn more about the Food and Nutrition Security Enhanced Resilient Project (FANSER), we are heading to Katete district, a two-hours ride from Chipata, the afternoon sun shines on the dusty road. FANSER is the Zambia country package of the Global Programme implemented in 12 countries in Africa and Asia. When the project ends in 2025, it will have run for ten years.
A group of women of all ages are gathering on the village square to sing welcoming songs, that are accompanying us to our chairs in the shade of a huge tree.
As we are all sitting, the group of women begins singing another song. This time, the support of FANSER is being included in the lyrics. They are describing, what the project has implemented here on the ground: Advising women with babies under two years in a healthy nutrition for their children, keeping a hygienic environment with toilets and handwashing, drying the plates on a shelf.
“I am proud to take my child around and show it to doctors.”
...Cecilia Banda, mother of a two-year-old child.
Besides more than 90.000 women and around 30.000 men FANSER reached in Zambia with its trainings in nutrition and hygiene, the FANSER project encouraged 77.000 women and men in growing healthy food as legumes, beans and cowpeas. To do so, the concept of building keyhole gardens was established in many villages to grow their own food right on their doorsteps. Overall, the FANSER project has reached more than 114.000 women, 56.000 men and 56.000 children under the age of two. This comes along with Zambian government’s engagement within the First 1.000 Most Critical Days Programme (MCDP II), which is the national implementation of the International Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement.
“There is already an excellent collaboration between the programmes and with the partners”, Ralf Sanftenberg states. “As we are discussing integrated solutions within GIZ, these projects here in Zambia already are on a very good path.”
Another example for integrated solutions across borders is presented to the group the next day. The Agro-Ecological Pest Management (EcoPm) project is implemented since end of 2022 in Zambia, Malawi and Uganda. The goal is to sustainably strengthen the resilience of small-scale farmers with pest control in the cultivation of crops. In collaboration with the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) and with support from the Ministries of Agriculture in the three countries, integrated pest management innovations are tested on a regional level. In Zambia, the project collaborates with the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI).
Enemy number one: The fall armyworm (FAW). On demonstration sites, four ways of getting rid of it are being tested: biopesticides, the use of natural enemies as little insects which eat the larva of the worm, push-pull technology with other plants that distract the worm, as well as pheromone traps. Farmers and extensionists have participated in trainings to improve their decision-making in pest management. The aim is to upscale the demonstration sites together with the FANSER project, to gain more evidence and to commercialise biopesticides. Furthermore, EcoPm is conducting a biocontrol business case study to examine what products are available, how stakeholders are involved and what regulatory framework there is on the policy level. The results are expected in February. During the presentation on the field trip, Ralf Sanftenberg gets the opportunity to free some natural enemies on the maize demonstration field. Unfortunately, time to see the immediate results is limited. The group is heading to the next station of the field trip: Community Markets for Conservation – COMACO. The processing enterprise consists of more than 100 cooperatives representing over 250.000 smallholder families.
COMACO is processing products of the regional farmers as soya, maize, peanuts. To avoid conflicts with wildlife, it advises the farmers in their practices. For instance, certain farmers had to move away from growing rice, since elephants liked the plants and approached the fields. The management of humans and wildlife also finds its reflection in the brand name of COMACO food products: “It’s Wild!” For example, the organic peanut butter is sold under this brand. New market opportunities COMACO is looking into are tomatoes that can be dried but also processed to sauces and sold on the South African market and in other neighbouring countries. Since there are many Mango trees in the region, the company collects the windfall and dries the fruit. It produces food for schools, consisting of soya, maize, vitamins and sugar.
With the Green Innovation Centers (GIC), COMACO has developed a training manual for good agricultural practices in the groundnut and soya bean value chain. It has been supported in the food product development, looking into organic farming and certification as well as value chain promotion. “It is important to look at the whole value chain”, Ralf Sanftenberg emphasises. “The value chain approaches are also part of the GloBe 2024 strategy and will become more important in the next year. I see a lot of potential for GIZ there, not only in Zambia.” With the Agricultural Finance Project (AgFin), COMACO has partnered with the local AB Bank and other financial institutions on digital payments for farmers with their mobile phones, easing transactions.
Another digital solution in the framework of the Fund for the Promotion of Innovation in Agriculture (i4Ag) is addressing the most pressing challenge for farmers in Zambia and worldwide: Climate change. Together with the University of Reading, the Zambia Meteorological Department and the Ministry of Agriculture, another project of GIZ in Zambia has developed a system which provides location-specific, historical climate data and weather forecasts. Since its start in July 2022, the Digital Climate Services for Smallholder Farmers in Zambia and Malawi (E-PICSA) trained around 700 smallholder farmers in interpreting the climate data, creating seasonal calendars, develop participatory budgets.
The training in planning and budgeting helped the farmers to increase their yields and income – and the women to get involved in the household decision-making. “Before, it was the responsibility of the men to take care of the money in the household. After the training, we do it together, and in my case, I myself manage the money”, states 55-year-old smallholder farmer Tasila Lungu with a triumphant smile. “Us women, we don’t fear the men anymore. Instead, we work together. I’m a happy woman now.”
In an App with all the meteorological information, extension officers and lead farmers engaged with COMACO can interpret the data and spread the information.
The Field visit ends in a farmer cooperative in Mambwe District. The success story of the more than 3.000 members Chikuwe Cooperative is obvious in many regards: The Green Innovation Centre (GIC) and Agricultural Finance (Agfin) projects supported the farmers with a manual on good agriculture practices, training seed growers and having their seeds certified, advised in governance and structure of the cooperative, trained their financial literacy and a gender-sensitive agriculture. Indeed, the financial board of the cooperative is 100 percent female. “With the trainings, I could extend my capacities and now I feel more confident”, says one of the female board members.
“With so many good examples, we need to scale up the successful stories and spread them in Zambia and beyond.”
In the end, he acknowledges the high intensity of collaboration between the projects. “They are outcome and impact oriented and there are many success stories”, he states. “With so many good examples, we need to scale up the successful stories and spread them in Zambia and beyond. And this goes only hand in hand with partners and third parties.”
Based on the experiences of these projects, the GIZ Agriculture and food security cluster on the very next day launched three new projects in Lusaka: Climate Resilient Agri-Food Systems (CREATE), Sustainable Agricultural Systems and Policies (AgSys) and Transformation of Food Systems (TES). As a symbol of the starting projects, Papaya plants were handed over to the partners. Let them grow!
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A Contribution by Emmanuel Atamba & Larissa Stiem-Bhatia
Drawing on dialogues with experts in Kenya, TMG Research releases its latest policy brief highlighting the critical need to strengthen coordination mechanisms in food systems governance. Emmanuel Atamba and Larissa Stiem-Bhatia from TMG Research summarize the results.
Every second, worldwide, we lose valuable and healthy soil with the size of four football fields. This was only one of the many facts being presented to a wide audience in Bonn and worldwide via livestream at the World Desertification and Drought Day on 17th June 2024. This was the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on Combatting Desertification (UNCCD), which was celebrated at the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn.
Diversifying our protein supply to include plant-based foods and cultivated meat can be a game-changer for climate mitigation and climate adaptation, especially in the countries of the Global South. However, a great deal of research is still required to capitalise on this potential. And political support, as Ivo Rzegotta, Good Food Institute, demonstrates.
In Himachal Pradesh, India, natural disasters are becoming more frequent and climatic conditions are changing – with negative consequences for apple production and farmers' livelihoods. Holistic and multidimensional innovation bundles are required for the entire value chain in order to make the food system more resilient in the future.
Africa’s largest youth generation has the potential to transform agriculture sustainably. Young entrepreneurs like Febelsa in Mozambique are building agricultural businesses that fuel local growth.
A new study on the digitalisation of agriculture puts farmers back at the centre of their own sector, identifies market gaps and gives recommendations on how to support relevant actors.
After a two-year break due to Corona, the doors of the International Green Week (IGW) in Berlin are opening again. From 20th to 29th January, visitors from all over the world can discover, marvel and taste the produce. But the event is not only feasting and fun. The BMZ stand asks questions about where food comes from & where it goes – and in the process becomes a crash test for many habits.
Russia's war against Ukraine and its impact on food, energy and fertiliser prices is worrying farmers all over the world. Young farmers, farmer organisations and politicians from Kenya, Chad and Ukraine tell their stories and what keeps them in agriculture.
Priscilla Impraim is one of the first women in Ghana to enter the chocolate business. Despite some hurdles, she founded the company Ab Ovo Confectionery Limited in 2006 with currently six permanent employees and 25 seasonal employees.
Interview with Caroline Milow and Ramon Brentführer
Groundwater resources remain dormant in the soil of African regions. Where does it make sense to use them – and where does overexploitation of nature begin? Caroline Milow (GIZ) and Ramon Brentführer (BGR) talk about potentials in the future and lessons from the past.
By processing chilli peppers, Black Mamba wants to give something back to the rural population. In a short portrait, Sandisiwe Dlamini, Food Safety Officer, reveals how.
After four years of the Bolsonaro administration, the new Brazilian government is trying to restart its engagement in agroecology, fighting deforestation in the Amazon and protecting indigenous communities and poor families from hunger. An interview with the Vice-minister for Rural Development and Family Farming, Fernanda Machiaveli.
Karen Mapusua, President of IFOAM Organics International Network, on the danger of the current fuel crises and inflation to loose track in sustainablity, why organic farmers should be heard and how the word “crisis” has a very different meaning where she lives in Fiji.
A contribution by William Onura and Larissa Stiem-Bhatia
In agriculture it is important to include political stakeholders in the discourse. To build the bridge between practical application and political action, the think tank TMG launched the Governor's Day with Farmers in Kakamega County, Kenya. Now it took place for the second time. But what are the goals and benefits of the Governor's Day?
Organic cotton is extremely popular – but farmers still find it difficult to change their conventional cultivation methods. A new project addresses this dilemma: Bundesliga football teams in Germany are promoting the switch to organic cotton in India. And thereby setting an example.
Small farmers often have a hard time getting financing. An app in Nigeria wants to change that: Founder Blessing Mene about what his app offers - and about the opportunities and limitations of agricultural financing.
Africa’s drylands seem to be predestined for generating solar and wind power – especially given the current hype over green hydrogen. However, pastoral communities are often put at a disadvantage in this respect. Our author describes the arising conflicts and what successful coexistence of green energy projects and the communities could look like.
The CompensACTION Initiative for food security and a healthy planet, launched by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in 2022, is gaining momentum. It aims to financially compensate smallholder farmers for their contribution to preserving ecosystems. Initial successes have been achieved in Ethiopia, Lesotho and Brazil.
The complex interrelationships of the sustainable transformation of agricultural and food systems are not always easy to understand - the Agri-Food Map, an interactive online app, makes the comprehensive relations accessible by providing a wide range of comprehensibly prepared information.
The production of animal-source foods is becoming increasingly difficult due to the impact of climate change on the livestock sector in Africa. Though, Livestock make a crucial contribution to food security in Africa. Three papers by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GIZ, ILRI and World Bank analyze, how Africas future livestock sector can look like.
With the annual topic "Earth’s well, all’s well!", Fairtrade Germany is focusing on the concept of agroecology at all levels - and is thus taking the next step towards achieving greater global sustainability. At the Green Week trade fair, Fairtrade Germany will show how this can be achieved taking the cocoa supply chain as an example.
What do chocolate, carrots and tequila have in common? What sounds like the ingredients for an experimental cocktail are foods that would not exist without certain animal species. They are examples of how nature works for us every day, often behind the scenes.
The Berlin start-up Klim is forging an alliance between farmers and companies. The aim is to use regenerative farming to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and sequester it as carbon in the soil. An interview with Nina Mannheimer.
The textile industry contributes significantly to environmental pollution as it produces over 100 billion garments every year, resulting in huge CO2 emissions and water consumption. Fashion designer Paul Kadjo uses banana silk as an environmentally friendly alternative to make textile production more environmentally conscious and socially just.
Allan Mubiru was standing in front of a shelf in Kigali, Rwanda, and discovered a local type of coffee. He took it, tasted it and was thrilled. A story about a grocery shopping trip that became the beginning of a successful business idea.
Global food systems are confronted with multiple stresses. It is more urgent than ever to make them more resilient, healthier and more sustainable. A key tool in such a transformation is reforming agricultural policies and repurposing agricultural support, as discussed in an online seminar co-organised by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
During the Women Leadership Programme in May 2024, around 20 women from African countries and Germany met again for a one-week workshop in Bavaria, Germany to become fit for leadership in their organisations. One topic that concerns the women across countries is climate change, but also violence against women and their discrimination in agriculture.
As a passionate social scientist and entrepreneur from Malawi, Ngabaghila Chatata knows that she can overcome any challenge. Her story stands out in a country faced with high unemployment, particularly in its rural areas. As the managing director of Thanthwe Farms, she has set out to inspire the next generation of young agripreneurs – proving that successful business starts with the right mindset, not only capital.
Countries across Africa coordinate their efforts in the fight against corona by the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) of the African Union in Addis Abeba. Until now, the curve of new infections has been successfully flattened – why? Dr. Ahmed Ouma, Deputy Director, explains the work of CDC in an interview with Tilman Wörtz.
In August, Germany’s development ministry set up a division concentrating on One Health topics. Parliamentary State Secretary Maria Flachsbarth on knowledge gaps at the human-animal-environmental interface, the link between One Health and food security, and lessons learnt from previous pandemics.
Financial innovations can prevent a crisis turning into a catastrophe. The livelihoods of people in affected areas may well depend on intervention before a crisis – and on risk funds.
Innovation is the only way to end hunger worldwide by the deadline we have set ourselves. The secret lies in networking and sharing ideas – and several initiatives are already leading by example.
After four years of Donald Trump in the White House, it is time to take stock: What policies did the Republican government pursue in African regions? And what will change in favor of Joe Biden after the election decision? Here is an evaluation.
The COVID 19 pandemic is hitting developing and emerging countries and their poorest populations particularly hard. It is important to take countermeasures at an early stage. Companies in the German agricultural sector want to make their contribution to ensuring the availability of urgently needed operating resources.
Corona makes it even more difficult to achieve a world without hunger by 2030. So that this perspective does not get out of sight, Germany must play a stronger role internationally - a summary of the Strategic Advisory Group of SEWOH.
Time to dig deeper: We can only benefit from technical progress if we have a solid legal framework for everybody. But so far, none is in sight - in many countries. Instead, international corporations grow ever more powerful.
What contribution does development cooperation make to conflict prevention? What can it do for sustainable peace? Political scientist Karina Mroß talks to Raphael Thelen about post-conflict societies and their chances for peaceful development.
The Cashew Council is the first international organisation for a raw material stemming from Africa. The industry promises to make progress in processing and refining cashew nuts - and answers to climate change
Agnes Kalibata, AGRA president since 2014 and former minister of agriculture and wildlife in Rwanda, is convinced that Africa's economy will only grow sustainably if small-scale agriculture is also seen as an opportunity.
From a circular food system in Rwanda to functioning cooled transports in Kenya: The lab of tomorrow addresses development challenges such as preventing food loss and waste
In Zambia, innovative approaches are used to address the problem of post-harvest losses in the groundnut value chain. GIZ's Rapid Loss Appraisal Tool (RLAT) can help to develop more such approaches.
The climate crisis fuels world hunger. What needs to change in the global fight against hunger, and which role plays humanitarian aid in international development cooperation?
In March 2022, the virtual conference ICTforAg summons leading actors in the agrartechnology and food sector from low- and middle-income countries to exchange ideas advancing resilience, nutrition and agriculture-led growth.
The oceans are important for our food supply, but they are overfished. To halt this trend the global community is now taking action against illegal fishing. Journalist Jan Rübel spoke with Francesco Marí, a specialist for world food, agricultural trade and maritime policy at "Brot für die Welt," and others.
When women have control over the resources of a household and manage the income, it usually leads to a more balanced and healthier diet for the family. But often the decision-making power lies with the men. How can this gender inequality be addressed? The GIZ global project Food Security and Resilience provides insights into project work on gender-transformative approaches finances by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
A Contribution by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
At the network meeting "Partners for change - Transformation to a food secure, resilient and sustainable future", almost 250 participants from over 20 countries came together to exchange experiences and ideas on the transformation of agricultural and food systems. The final product, joint recommendations to transform agricultural and food systems, can now be read online.
Halfway through the 2030 Agenda, the BMZ invited participants to a network meeting entitled "Partners for change - Transformation to a food secure, resilient and sustainable future". Experts from around the world developed recommendations in a consultation process and then consolidated them in Berlin. A site visit.
A Contribution by Harry Hoffmann (TMG) & Nathalie Demel (WHH)
At the halfway mark of the 2030 Agenda and two years after the UN Food System Summit 2021, a stocktaking moment was held in Rome to analyze the progress of countries on the commitments to action in transforming food systems. Dr Harry Hoffmann, TMG Think Tank, and Nathalie Demel, Welthungerhilfe, were on site and take stock as well.
It takes the joint efforts of diverse actors to achieve a transformative impact on the global food system. Barbara Rehbinder, Scaling Up Nutrition Movement (SUN), discusses four people-centred principles to get closer to this goal.
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