“Let us draw inspiration from the power, unity and joint efforts to address food insecurity and create a community where no one will die of hunger,” officials of the Lusaka-based Centre that is engaged in research, advocacy, education and consultancy on social issues say.
They go on to offer a raft of measures to ensure food security in the country.
“The Centre continues to encourage households to grow food items such as vegetables whenever possible to supplements daily meals,” officials of the Jesuit entity say, adding that “through engagement in community-driven initiatives like community gardens, cooperative farming, and knowledge-sharing platforms, we can lay the groundwork for a future with ample food security.”
They also advocate for “agroecological diversification” in line with the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) recommendations.
“As the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations emphasizes, agroecological diversification enhances socio-economic and ecological resilience,” they explain.
The scholars continue, “In an effort to diversify diets and farming practices, it is essential that farmers, especially smallholder farmers practice agroecology in order to maintain soil fertility and adapt to the climatic conditions.”
They also urge the Zambian government to “provide information and support to small scale farmers on how best they can access the irrigation equipment, with the newly announced tax waivers on all agriculture equipment.”
“It is prudent that smallholder farmers are well informed and supported to take advantage of this to help strengthen Zambia’s food security and cushion the consumer demand to address food scarcity,” they say.
JCTR officials further say, “We re-echo the need for fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and community upliftment in the aspects of better farming technologies that are sustainable especially with the waiver on irrigation equipment.”
In the statement shared with ACI Africa, the scholars at the Jesuit entity also emphasize the need to sensitize Zambians “on alternative foods especially drought resistant crops for instance cassava, millet and sorghum.”
