Kawambwa Farmers want to Diversify

Unlike other parts of the northern Luapula province that can boast of ample supplies of sumptuous steaks of fish for both domestic comsumption and selling, Kawambwa falls short of the glory of fish.

By Anthony Mukwita

The main economic activity among the 100,000 people in this one horse lane town is idealy supposed to be agriculture.

In the past, the natives of the district have been growing the tradition staple maize that almost all rural Zambians grow, including to a very large extent, cassava, a high fibre tuber that gives lots of energy once eaten along in a balanced diet.

However, farming practices are beginning to change along the way owing largely to the awareness and the skills the local farmers are learning from developmental NGOs such as MSZambia.

The Danish NGO has adopted a new partner in addition to the district council, the Kawambwa District Farmers Association which has ambitious plans to revolutionise agricutulture to an extent that it will earn them money.

Instead of going it alone on advise from MSZambia partners, the association has organised itself as a lobby boasting presently of 20 affiliates growing anything starting from cassava, corn, tomato or some such.

These crops, however, have been mainly for domestic consumption and just a little barely enough to take children to school.

But spokesperson for the farmers association, E.S. Mulenga says the problems of low income crops may soon come to an end but there is still the proverbial catch.

”If it is possible,” Mr Mulenga says, ”we would be most grateful if MSZambia as our partners can help us with the identification of extension workers and possible funding for them to school us in the new ways of growing high value crops,” he says.

The plan is that the association wants to start growing paprika, soya beans and mushrooms which according to information available to them is fetching more money than they would ever dream of making growing maize and cassava.

The lack of expert knowledge and start up money is currently standing in their way and may remain so for sometime to come until a solution is found.

So here is what MS Country Director, Ladislous Kanene suggested to them during an inter active meeting also aimed at reviewing the partnership agreement.

”We can help you by indentifying big farmers dealing in paprika and the other crops you have mentioned,” he says, ”these farmers have extension farmers who can teach you the rules of thumb on growing these high value crops at no cost. Also they will take away the burden of you finding the market because they will buy your produce and sell it on markets they have already established.”

To an ordinary partner this sounds like a good deal any day but the farmers in Kawambwa are not that conversant with such solutions and above all, they have been disappointed in the past by government extention workers.

”Our cry is that the government extention workers have not helped us in the past and we do not see how they will manage to help us this time around...we need MSZambia to help us negotiate for prices and find market.”