FARMS: Irrigation helps to cope with climate change

 25/06/2020 – by Derrick Silimina

Opinion

Zambian farmer watering plants.

Zambia is investing in irrigation systems as a way to improve crop yields in the face of prolonged droughts and increasingly severe floods. More needs to be done to serve smallholder farms. Since Zambia, moreover, is only a minor emitter of the gases that drive global warming, other nations must assume responsibility for climate protection.

Zambia’s once-vibrant agriculture sector is falling victim to climate change. Steadily rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and erratic rainfall are threatening crop yields and livelihoods. The trend is likely to worsen as climate change proceeds, environmental experts say.

A severe drought in the western and southern provinces during the rainy seasons in 2017 and 2018, as well as floods in the north, made more than 2.3 million Zambians dependent on food aid, according to donor organizations.

Ironically, Zambia as a whole has plenty of water. Its rivers, lakes, and underground reserves account for 40 % of southern Africa’s water resources. But the water is not always available in the right place or at the right time.

Zambia’s most cultivated crop is maize, and it is a thirsty plant. Others include cotton, soybeans, tobacco, groundnuts, and paprika. Agronomists say that irrigation boosts yields to between twice and four times the levels of rain-fed agriculture and could be an important part of the solution to a shortfall in productivity in the sector.

In view of the country’s twin water calamities – too much water in some places and too little in others – Zambia is investing in dams and irrigation systems to even out its supplies. As part of these plans, several programs are underway to bring irrigation systems to small farms and reduce their centuries-old dependence on rain.

The Agricultural Sector Investment Programme, a joint initiative of the government and the World Bank, informs farmers and investors about “climate-smart” technologies, including irrigation. The program also promotes crop diversification, commercial horticulture, and reducing post-harvest losses.

The government and outside donors are also investing in early warning communication networks to alert communities to coming natural disasters such as droughts and floods, so they can prepare.

Separately, Zambia’s National Environmental Action Plan is promoting sustainable agricultural practices. Among other measures, the government is encouraging more efficient use of water and the use of computer-based tools for mapping drought- and flood-prone areas.

Currently, irrigation systems are found mostly on large-scale commercial farms, while small-scale farmers tend to depend on increasingly unpredictable rainfalls. But under various educational and subsidized financing schemes, this is starting to change. Irrigation equipment, including drip-watering systems and solar-powered water pumps, are appearing on small farms as well.

“This equipment is in high demand among farmers, and even small-scale farmers see the value of irrigating instead of depending on rainfall,” says Kelvin Tembo, who sells irrigation equipment in Mkushi District in central Zambia.

Smallholder farmer Charity Bumba of Chongwe, east of Lusaka, agrees. She has been irrigating her winter maize crops with a combination of underground water sources and irrigation equipment for several years, as the impact of climate change has become increasingly clear. “I cannot imagine how I would earn income without irrigation,” she says. “It keeps my business running year-round.”

In Gwembe in southern Zambia, smallholder farmer Pauline Kandela is still depending on rain. On a recent Sunday morning, a downpour finally came after a prolonged dry spell. “This is encouraging after a long while,” she says. “I hope for a good harvest next year.”

Improved infrastructure will help Zambia adapt to global warming. If climate change spins out of control, however, that will simply not do. The advanced nations must do more to mitigate the risks by curbing carbon emissions. Since sub-Saharan Africa hardly emits relevant gases, its countries have not contributed much to causing the problem (see Jakkie Cilliers in Tribune section of D+C/E+Z e-Paper 2020/07).

Derrick Silimina is a freelance journalist based in Lusaka, Zambia. He focuses on Zambian agriculture and sustainability issues.
derricksilimina@gmail.com

EYE CARE: Helping Zambians to see

 13/07/2020 – by Derrick Silimina

Nowadays

© stepmap.de

Until recently, Maureen Mumba suffered from cataracts, a blurring of the lens of the eyes which, if left untreated, can cause total blindness. Mumba, a 55-year-old subsistence farmer in southern Zambia, had the disease for five years. Her increasingly cloudy vision slowed her farming work, threatening her household’s food supply.

She is one of the lucky ones, however. Thanks to a Chinese program offering free cataract surgery, Mumba received an operation that removed her cataracts. “I am so excited that my sight is fully restored,” she says.

Mumba is one of a small but growing number of Zambians benefitting from a push to fight cataracts and other eye diseases. The campaign is supported by donations from international NGOs, private health-care providers, and foreign governments, particularly the Chinese government.

Cataracts are a major cause of blindness in Zambia, particularly among the elderly. About 12 million people worldwide are blind because of cataracts, says Sightsavers, a global health-care organization that supported 355,000 cataracts operations worldwide in 2018.

In Zambia, about 75,000 people are blind because of cataracts, according to See International, a US-based eye care provider, citing the Zambian Ministry of Health data. Overall, it says, “treatable or preventable conditions account for approximately 80% of blindness cases in Zambia.”

In addition to its human cost, blindness takes a tremendous economic toll on Zambia, with an estimated total annual loss of $ 56 million. Zambians have poor access to eye care, with only 15 ophthalmologists serving over 14 million residents, See International says.

Part of the problem is the lack of public information. According to Eye for Zambia, a Dutch organization that supports eye care in Zambia, 43% of affected people are unaware of possible treatment. The country also lacks equipment and training for eye care, and high transport costs impede access to the few available eye care facilities.

The Chinese government is at the forefront of efforts to help. It funded a program called “Bright Journey” that provides free cataract surgery in Lusaka and the southern provinces. So far, China has sent 21 medical teams to Zambia, providing diagnosis and treatment of common eye diseases as well as treatment of difficult cases.

The teams also train local doctors and provide materials and equipment. “As long as cataracts affect daily life and work, surgery can be considered,” says Dr. Huang Shunde, director of the “Bright Journey” program.

The surgeons use a method called phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation. “In this surgery, the nucleus of lens is crushed and sucked out by ultrasound, and a foldable intraocular lens is implanted at the same time so that the object is refocused on the retina, and the patient will be able to gain vision after the operation,” Dr. Shunde says. One of the patients treated is Bright Nkamba, a 48-year-old bus driver from Lusaka. “My eyesight is now back to normal,” he says.” I am so grateful that this operation was a success.”

The Zambian government expressed thanks for the Chinese support. “It is with a deep sense of gratitude that I recognize the government of China’s dedication to the provision of quality health services to Zambia,” says Kennedy Malama, a permanent secretary at the Zambian Health Ministry.

Derrick Silimina is a freelance journalist based in Lusaka. He focuses on Zambian agriculture and sustainability issues.
derricksilimina@gmail.com

ENVIRONMENT: Financing the fight against climate change

 08/06/2020 – by Derrick Silimina

Nowadays

© stepmap.de

Climate change has brought a combination of devastating droughts and ruinous floods to Zambia, with no solution in sight.

In eastern and central parts of the country, floods caused by heavy rains have washed away houses, bridges, and roads in February this year, leaving families homeless and entire regions devastated.

In Muchinga province, four people died while trying to cross the flooded Luangwa River. In Lusaka province, many roads and bridges collapsed under the weight of floods.

Gloria Chipeta, 32, of Mambwe district in the east, says the floods left her family homeless and destroyed all her food and household goods. “I am traumatized and don’t know what to do,” she says. “How am I going to take care of my kids?”

In other parts of the country, droughts are laying fields to waste and causing food shortages. Some southern and western provinces urgently need food aid.

One of the regions hardest hit by drought is the Nalolo district in the west, home of Vice President Inonge Wina. “It is very unfortunate that even though our vice president comes from this area, little is being done to address the impacts of climate change here,” says Teddy Ilukena, a local farmer.

According to the 2019-2020 United Nations Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for Zambia, 2.3 million Zambians will need food aid before the next harvest. It says 450,000 of those people who need food immediately.

However, the Zambian government is struggling with a huge debt repayment burden, making resources scarce.

Zambia’s external debt has been on the rise in the past decade. It rose from $ 3.2 billion (€ 2.9 billion) in 2011 to $ 10.23 billion in June 2019, according to the Ministry of Finance.

The country’s domestic debt stock, meanwhile, is also soaring. It reached 60.3 billion Zambian Kwacha (€ 3.66 billion) in June 2019, compared to 15.1 billion Kwacha in 2011.

In view of his country’s debt burdens and climate crisis, President Edgar Lungu has appealed for humanitarian aid from donor countries, particularly for areas hit by floods.

“My administration is doing everything possible to rehabilitate and resettle the affected people,” Lungu said. He noted the rains are a “double-edged sword”, causing devastation for some districts but also watering crops elsewhere and filling dams that can be used for hydropower.

Not all Zambians agree that international aid is the right answer.

Kebby Mbewe, a flood victim from Lusaka province, says the government should find home-grown solutions instead of requesting aid every time floods hit. “Over 50 years after independence, we should use our own resources to respond to climate change challenges,” he says. 

The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR), a Roman Catholic organization, agrees that local input would be helpful, and argues that the government’s disaster management and mitigation unit should fund research to find solutions for a chronic flood problem.

“As climate change reversal is not in sight, droughts and floods will continue,” says JCTR spokesman  Enock Ngoma. “The government should adequately fund the University of Zambia to design long term mitigation systems.”

Derrick Silimina is a freelance journalist based in Lusaka, Zambia. He focuses on Zambian agriculture and sustainability issues.
derricksilimina@gmail.com

POWER SHORTAGES: When the lights go out

 19/04/2020 – by Derrick Silimina

In brief

© Veeser/picture-alliance/imageBROKER

Shop owners and other businesses suffer an unreliable power supply.

When water levels in hydroelectric dams get low enough, the power utility cuts power to customers – sometimes for 20 hours per day. This has hit the economy hard across all sectors, including metal fabricators, hair salons, butchery shops, and almost everyone else.

Teddy Mugala, the owner of a butchery shop in Lusaka’s sprawling Soweto market, sees the impact immediately in his refrigerators. “My meat products go bad every time the power is shut down,” he says.

Zesco, the state-owned power company that supplies almost all the country’s electricity, publishes notices telling customers when and where to expect blackouts. In some areas, power is cut from early morning until late in the evening.

To ease the situation, the government is trying to import 330 MW from South Africa at a cost of $ 27 million.

But business owners want faster solutions. “My business depends on a constant power supply,” says David Munyinda, a metal fabricator in Kalingalinga township near Lusaka. “The power comes on at 5 am for just two hours and then goes out again. How can I work like this?”

ENERGY POLICY: Water over the dam

 16/04/2020 – by Derrick Silimina

In depth

© Dan Burton/picture-alliance/robertharding

The hydroelectric power station on Lake Tanganyika in Zambia.

Zambia is reconsidering its long-time dependence on hydropower, as chronic droughts cut production at its massive hydro dams. The country is diversifying into solar and wind instead.

At first glance, hydropower seems natural for Zambia. The country benefits from the water flows of the mighty Zambezi and Kafue Rivers, and hydropower is a clean and renewable fuel source. With this in mind, Zambia built major hydropower plants to supply nearly all its electricity needs.

But hydropower has a fatal flaw: Chronic drought lowers water levels to the point where power production is severely curtailed. Droughts in recent years have produced electricity shortages estimated at nearly one-third of Zambia’s total installed hydroelectric capacity of 2,380 megawatts.

In 2019, water levels in the Kariba dam plunged to their lowest level since 1996, falling to 10 % of usable storage. “This is probably the worst drought that has ever hit Zambia since independence” in 1964, Energy Minister Matthew Nkhuwa told parliament.

Drought caused by climate change is not the only flaw in Zambia’s energy policy, however. Chronic under-investment in hydro projects has also caused problems. Even when enough rain falls, the power supply cannot keep up with demand from the mining, manufacturing, and agriculture industries.

But the biggest problem is that Zambia is over-dependent on hydro energy, a fuel source that is subject to the unpredictability of the weather. According to the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the country draws 85 % of its power from hydro projects.

As droughts cause chronic and prolonged blackouts, Zambia is looking to reduce its dependence on hydropower by developing other renewable fuel sources, such as solar and wind. These fuel sources are as clean as hydropower and can help reduce Zambia’s dependence on rainfall for its electricity.

Solar and wind projects have another key advantage: these power plants can be smaller and more decentralized than most hydro dams and can be connected to micro-grids supplying under-served communities. That is important in Zambia, where the countryside lacks access to power. According to USAID, only four percent of the rural population in Zambia has access to electricity.

Enter private investors

The vast majority of Zambia’s power is produced and distributed by Zesco, the state-owned utility. But in an effort to diversify both its fuel sources and its financial resources, Zambia is entering agreements with corporations looking to invest in its energy sector.

For example, in 2019 the Zambezi River Authority awarded a contract to a consortium led by General Electric and Power China to build a $ 4 billion hydropower project at Batoka Gorge.

Zambia also signed an agreement with the World Banks’ International Finance Corporation (IFC) to develop two large-scale solar projects. A competitive auction through the IFC’s “Scaling Solar” program attracted bids from competing solar developers. Both solar plants started operation in 2019; according to the IFC, the projects offer the lowest solar-power prices in Africa to date.

Wind energy is relatively underdeveloped but several promising projects are underway. Last November the energy minister initiated a 200 MW wind-power project in Katete, Eastern Province. The government expects construction to start in 2021. This is the first phase of the larger Unika 1 wind project, which is to be financed by private investors.

These projects are badly needed and long overdue. Rolling power blackouts have damaged Zambia’s already fragile economy. The chronic electricity shortages have affected everyone, from individuals to small businesses and large mining corporations (see box).

Adding generating capacity from diversified supply sources could also ease a price crunch for energy consumers. As Zesco’s condition has worsened, it was forced to raise tariffs by as much as 200 % in late 2019, in part to pay for power imports from South Africa.

In the short term, rate-payers facing a combination of rolling blackouts and higher prices are upset. “My business is down due to lack of electricity,” says Lucy Mbewe, 32, operator of a hair salon in Lusaka, the capital. “The government should invest in [other] renewable energies instead of always depending on the Kariba dam for power generation, year in and year out.”

Source
USAID Zambia power Africa fact sheet:
https://www.usaid.gov/powerafrica/zambia

Derrick Silimina is a freelance journalist based in Lusaka, Zambia. He focuses on Zambian agriculture and sustainability issues.
derricksilimina@gmail.com

AGRICULTURE: Facing down the armyworm pest

 16/03/2020 – by Derrick Silimina

Nowadays

© stepmap.de

Zambia is once again facing a serious threat to its staple crop, maize, which comprises 90 % of its food energy intake.

The threat comes from an invasion of fall armyworms – caterpillar-like creatures that arrive in droves and eat their way through the leaves and stems of plants. Although attention has focused on the dietary staple maize, the pest also attacks groundnuts, sunflowers, cotton, and soybeans.

Armyworms invade each year to wreak havoc on Zambia’s crops. According to the country’s Ministry of Agriculture, fully 98 % of farmers in Zambia and Ghana told pollsters in a 2018 survey that their maize crop was affected; the average maize loss was 35%. In the most recent farming season, 46 districts and 521 farming settlements sent out distress calls.

Zambia is not alone in facing an invasion of armyworms. The Ministry of Agriculture says the caterpillars attacked more than 40 African countries during the 2018-2019 farming season. Those attacks laid waste a total of nearly 60,000 hectares of land that support over 70,000 households. 

For small-scale farmers and their communities, the invasion is catastrophic. Sharon Mwale, a small-scale farmer in the Kafue district in southern Zambia, says armyworms cause massive damage to her crops each year and threaten food security in her district.

The government fights the invasion by spraying affected fields with anti-armyworm chemicals. Recently, it reportedly purchased 83,000 liters of anti-armyworm sprays. Other agencies are also involved: the African Development Bank committed $ 3 million for anti-pest chemicals.

Chinese-owned agriculture-technology company Sunagri Investment Zambia offers a further solution. It uses drones to spray affected crops, avoiding labor-intensive spraying by hand.

Fraser Zhang, the company’s founder, initially imported three drones from China for the task. He subsequently deployed “smart” drones that spray affected plants at night. That was a key step-change in the fight against armyworms since the pests feed on crops at night.

Not all farmers believe that chemicals are the right way to fight the pest. Nelson Kabanda, a farmer from the Lufwanyama district in the center of the country, says the solution is to invest in preventative measures rather than using chemicals. “This is a waste of taxpayers’ money,” he says of the spraying. “How long will this battle continue with chemicals, to which most affected farmers don’t even have access? We need a lasting solution or else farmers will forever be in need of food aid.”

Similarly, Maybin Mutale, a farmer in the Mufumbwe district in the country’s northwest, notes that farming in his region has been depressed for a long time despite spraying. He says farmers should shift to hardier, pest-resistant crops. “If mitigation measures are not put in place, many farmers will starve,” he says. “How can one harvest crops that have already been eaten up?”

Derrick Silimina is a freelance journalist based in Lusaka, Zambia.
derricksilimina@gmail.com

Chinese business technology transfer provides benefits for Zambia

 

As part of the realization that it is a "knowledge and technology transfer" approach that helped China become one of the major global economies, the Asian giant is employing training as one of the vital ways of skill and technology transfer to Africans

By Derrick Silimina VOL.12 September ·2020-08-31

People buy fruits in a market in Lusaka, Zambia, on July 31 (XINHUA)

The drive for knowledge and technology transfer from China to Africa has taken center stage in recent times and the relationship runs much deeper than the one based on a trade of commodities.

As part of the realization that it is a "knowledge and technology transfer" approach that helped China become one of the major global economies, the Asian giant is employing training as one of the vital ways of skill and technology transfer to Africans.

Local training

In Zambia, some Chinese companies are providing training to its local employees mostly through formal programs such as mentoring and on-the-job training. For these reasons, Chinese investments in Zambia's key economic sectors have continued to change people's lives, especially the youth, with many direct and indirect jobs created.

Recently, Minister of National Development and Planning Alexander Chiteme reiterated his call to Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Li Jie to encourage Chinese companies operating in the country to transfer skills to locals.

"What we want to see as Zambians is skills being transferred from Chinese nationals and imparted to our people, so that we can learn and enrich our skills," said Chiteme.

Nestled at the edge of Chongwe District 50 km east of Lusaka City is Zhongyang Eco-Agriculture Industry Park, a Chinese-owned agriculture and construction company. Apparently, Chongwe is home to some other Chinese businesses that contribute immensely to Zambia's agriculture and construction industries, key economic sectors that have since benefited many people in terms of employment creation in the area.

Zhongyang Eco-Agriculture Industry Park Administrative Manager Fredrick Sashi is one among many local workers who appreciates the value of skills and technology transfer by foreign entities to its employees.

Interestingly, the Chinese company was recently left in Sashi's hands when its directors returned to China during the Chinese New Year celebrations early this year. Their prolonged stay in China following the outbreak of COVID-19 in that country did not disrupt operations in Zambia because Sashi had acquired the appropriate management skills.

Sashi told ChinAfrica that it was an amazing achievement and a boost to his career prospects being delegated to manage the company's finances and operations.

"For me, the responsibility was timely because I had already been groomed to do the job by my Chinese managers. Apart from that, it's an excellent experience when you get entrusted by foreign investors to manage the company's operations on their behalf," he said.

Sashi, who is an accountant by profession, stated that having been at the helm of the company and coordinated its financial transactions for about 20 months was enlightening as he had gained valuable skills in using Chinese apps to communicate and carry out monetary transactions more efficiently.

Workers at a face mask firm in Lusaka, Zambia, on July 24 (XINHUA)

Mutual benefits

But it is not knowledge transfer alone that is mutually benefitting Zambia and China. Recently, there has been more technology transfer of vital knowledge diffusion from Chinese companies to local members of staff. This has been in the form of machinery and production processes and models among others.

For instance, Hongsen Investment is another Chinese company involved in recycling plastic waste materials into finished household products such as dishes, cups, brooms, and hangers.

Hongsen Company Administration Officer Thandiwe Chaaba said they are creating value out of plastic waste material by contributing to job creation and environmental sustainability.

"This plant here uses unique technology because it was one of the first to be established in the country and I believe its operators, who are mostly locals, have learned the value of such equipment not only to help sustain the environment but also to create jobs in the community," said Chaaba, who is also a Mandarin/English translator at the company.

Francis Kabaso, 42, works at Chinese company CAMCO Equipment (Zambia) Ltd., known for its supply of durable and affordable agricultural equipment in the country.

As CAMCO's Operations Manager, Kabaso coordinates the company's outlets countrywide through the supply of state-of-the-art agricultural equipment in line with the goal to scale up agriculture productivity in the country.

Kabaso said that during the course of his duties, he has learned how technology transfer is key to national industrialization. If it is well harnessed, local workers who have been taught how to operate certain equipment can easily pass on the technical skills to future generations, a catalyst to national emancipation, he said.

Meanwhile, China-Africa Cotton (CAC) is one of the first Chinese cotton companies to enter the African market. CAC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of China-Africa Cotton Developed Ltd. and has become an integrated enterprise including cottonseed planting, cotton ginning, sales, and cooking oil production, based on excellent cotton-growing conditions in Africa.

CAC has contributed greatly to technology upgrades in Zambia's textile industry through the introduction of improved seed varieties and cost-efficient chemical products. This has meant an increase in productivity in cotton production. CAC's goal is to form a complete industry chain, including cotton planting, ginning, and spinning as well as oil production.

"We will take advantage of our cutting-edge technology and efficient management skills to provide good products and service to all our clients," CAC Chairman Wang Chuanguan said recently.

While it may be too early to measure the significant role technology and knowledge transfer from China to Zambia is playing in shaping its development agenda, experiences in Zambia and other growing economies on the continent point to a mutually beneficial outlook.

(Reporting from Zambia)