April 16, 2024
News
Mwiba is a Zambian farmer who leads efforts in his community to adapt agriculture to climate change. He is one of the lead farmers supported by Caritas Czech Republic, to introduce farmers from his community to sustainable agriculture. Each lead farmer usually has around 20 to 25 follower farmers. Now, Mwiba is sharing his knowledge with his community to tackle the challenges of climate change.
Mwiba is leading the way to climate resilience
Mwiba is a lead farmer from the Western province of Zambia, which is significantly affected by climate change. In a country where more than half of the population depends on agriculture, climate change and the associated drastic drought are leading to crop failures, depriving locals of their livelihoods. Caritas Czech Republic is empowering local communities in Zambia to adapt to climate change by embracing sustainable agricultural practices. We support lead farmers to become an example to other farmers.
As the lead farmer selected by Caritas Czech Republic, Mwiba is working to make agriculture a sustainable livelihood despite the challenges of the climate crisis in his region. “I have learnt which types of seeds are drought resistant and also how to store my produce for longer periods of time,“ says Mwiba. “Caritas Czech Republic has guided us on how to prepare the land, plant our food, manage our farm and how to harvest,” the farmer adds.
Like every lead farmer, Mwiba was able to pass this invaluable information to the farmers from his community. “The farming knowledge I have gained from Caritas Czech Republic has changed my life and even what we are eating. We are eating differently,” says Mwiba, proud to eat food produced at home.
Besides learning how to continue to farm successfully, farmers also learnt what not to do. “We are encouraged not to cut trees because it’s what contributes to climate change. So what we are doing now is that we plant trees where we have cut trees before,“ explains Mwiba. Deforestation is a major issue in Zambia, especially in rural areas where people are cutting wooden trees to have more space to grow crops.
Caritas Czech Republic helps farmers in Zambia adapt to climate change
Zambia is one of the countries severely impacted by climate change. The most affected are the local farmers who rely on agriculture for their livelihoods. Our goal is to help local farmers like Mwiba support their own communities to adapt to climate change. Farmers learn to grow different types of crops to reduce food shortages. They can therefore secure their livelihoods by harvesting their produce regardless of weather conditions caused by climate change. We also introduce farmers in Zambia to innovative methods to encourage climate resilience, such as using mobile apps to enable access to online crop markets or insurance against climate risks for farmers.
By introducing farmers to ways how to adapt to climate change, we are also working together to combat malnutrition thanks to the possibility of growing a variety of crops. Mwiba now also has a varied and nutritious diet. “I now enjoy 3 meals in a day, it has changed my life. Thank you Caritas Czech Republic,“ the farmer says happily.
Mwiba’s story is one of resilience, illustrating the impact of climate-adaptive agriculture on livelihoods in his home region. Despite the challenges posed by climate change, farmers in Zambia are learning ways to grow their crops and spread their knowledge to their communities. We are proud to participate in the effort of sharing climate-related information and techniques to adapt and withstand the urgent climate crisis.
Caritas Czech Republic in Zambia
In Zambia, Caritas Czech Republic has been making a significant impact since 2013, when we opened what is now our largest foreign office. Apart from working with farmers to help them adapt to the changing climate, we also support refugees to become self-sufficient by starting their own businesses or studying at university.
We can support communities in Zambia also thanks to our donors. Donate and help with us.
