E-SAPP/CIAT PARTNERSHIP IN CLIMATE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT

By HAPPY MULOLANI In Zambia, the agriculture sector is one of the key productive sectors. As a result, government has prioritized the sector through national development plans such as the Seventh National Development Plan, among others, which outlines its key priorities envisaged for the country to attain economic growth. But, climate change is one of the concerns likely to impact on the success of the agriculture sector in the country. Through intervention programmes such as the Enhanced Smallholder Agribusiness Promotion Programme (E-SAPP), government has reaffirmed its committment by implementing E-SAPP with co-funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The programme, which runs for seven years, aims to support 61,000 smallholder farmers in all ten provinces. E-SAPP has selected four commodities of focus. These include livestock, rice, crops and aquaculture. In a recent meeting in Lusaka, on climate change which looked at climate vulnerability assessment for enhanced smallholder agribusiness promotion programme. The meeting drew participants from the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and key stakeholders engaged in the fight against climate change. It focused on climate analysis specifically on the historic and future trends in the Zambian context. Enhanced Smallholder Agribusiness Promotion Programme (E-SAPP) Acting Programme Coordinator Emmanuel Mulenga points out that the programme has no geographical positioning per se but is existent in all the ten provinces across the selected commodities of focus. Mr Mulenga explains that the programme has taken into account establishing sustainable agribusiness partnerships to better position and support smallholder farmers in their farming enterprises. This strategic linkage focuses on graduating subsistence farmers to potential markets. He says the programme builds capacity and equips smallholder farmers with knowledge. But, the point of realization is that knowledge alone is not adequate. This is the more reason, the programme seeks to provide matching grants as an effective avenue to effectively support and empower farmers as a means of investment. Mr Mulenga highlights the first component of the programme which promotes agribusiness growth for beneficiary farmers to effectively participate in the value chain, under the National Development agribusiness intervention for the country. He observes that while the programme has conceptualized a well defined target of farmers within the specific value chains, achieving the programme’s goals of increased volumes, food security and nutrition and income may have serious implications in view of the climatic changes. For this reason, E-SAPP has partnered with International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). CIAT works to increase prosperity and improve human nutrition through research-based interventions agriculture and the environment. It works in Africa, Asia and Latin America. One of its thematic areas which is key to its partnership with E-SAPP is investment planning for resilient agriculture and the leveraging of markets through improved productivity and `competitive (CIAT Africa Factsheet, 2019). In this respect, CIAT’s partnership with E-SAPP aims at strengthening its agribusiness intervention. Mr Mulenga explains that CIAT role is key in assessing the risks in line with climate change and ensures they provide interventions that assure farmers to achieve increased volumes and food production. And speaking on behalf of Ministry of Agriculture Director Policy and Planning John Kalumbi, Christopher Mbewe says that it is important for E-SAPP which is a programme the Ministry of Agriculture is implementing with IFAD’s support to be wary of the effects of climate change as farmers engage in their respective commodities of focus. “The importance of this partnership will enable farmers to be supported in coming up with feasible interventions that will positively impact on the farmers’ commodities of focus”, says Mr Kalumbi. The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) County Director Joseph Mulambu says more sensitization is required to farmers on the adaptive mechanisms given the effects of climate change. “Climate change may affect farmers’ progress in their commodities of focus if proper mechanisms are not effected”, says Mr Mulambu. Mr Mulambu points out though it is clear that the effects of climate change are more pronounced in the Southern than the Northern and Eastern provinces of Zambia, farmers cannot be convinced to shift. This is because cultural barriers are difficult to break. On the contrary, what is required is to look at the vulnerability map and tailor more support towards areas severely affected by climate change. While CIAT Farming Systems and Climate Change Scientist Caroline Mwongera says climate change has its own merits and demerits depending on the circumstances. “The face of climate change has its own implications for the future, the key factors to consider is risk, suitability and sensitivity of specific crops. For instance, certain crops will thrive in particular localities depending on the risks, sensitivity and suitability experienced in specific areas. This trend is currently being experienced in East Africa, where there has been a shift to growing coffee in the northern parts which was not the case before”, says Dr Mwongera. Given the risk climate change poses, there is need to re-think adaption options based on context specific conditions as that would help mitigate the effects of climate change within the value chain the smallholder farmers are engaged in. And United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Goalkeeper David Mwabila is of the view adaptive measures need to cater for all parts of the country. Mr Mwabila explains that adaptive measures calls for taking into account of risks synonymous with every province. This should be a basis of putting in place adaptive measures in areas more prone to climatic risks. “Certain provinces that are more prone to climatic risks in agriculture production need more support and expertises to be directed towards them, in order for them to cope with the effects of climate change”, he said. From the foregoing sentiments from various stakeholders and actors, it is encouraging that government has put in place policies to help mitigate the prevailing effects of climate change. More importantly, there is need to re-think appropriate adaptation options to allow farmers cope in their farming enterprises. Suffice to state that though they are present on-going adaptation options, it is key to look at potential adaptation options which facilitate the possibility of farmers adopting climate resilience practices. Such an approach allows smallholder farmers to progress in their commodities of focus and ultimately contribute to food security.