Although traffic at the DRC, Zambia border post of Kasumbalesa has returned to normal following the death of two truckers at the beginning of 2014, many say they fear for their lives. Courtesy: Ephraim Nsingo

By Eprahim Nsingo
LUSAKA, Feb 21 2014 (IPS)

Truck driver Alfred Ndlovu transports cobalt from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) mineral rich Katanga Province to South Africa twice a month. He has been doing this for the last five years but now he is considering giving it up because he fears for his life every time he crosses the border.

“It is not good to always be in fear. The soldiers and police officers are supposed to protect us, not to punish us for refusing to give them bribes. We are one as Southern Africa and the Congolese security forces should not try to create unnecessary strife,” Ndlovu told IPS.

Conflict claimed two lives at the Kasumbalesa Border post between Zambia and the DRC since the start of the year. In January, a 28-year-old Zambian truck driver, Patrick Mwila, was shot dead by Congolese officials following a dispute over a bribe. And at the start of February, Zimbabwean truck driver Joseph Howard Mwachande, 52, was shot dead on the Zambian side of the border.“We are no longer interested in promises, we want to see action. We are pleading with the government, please help secure our drivers.” -- Chilufya Chansa, SADC Truck Drivers Association

The border is the DRC’s biggest link to trade routes in southern Africa and internationally. According to the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), Kasumbalesa is Zambia’s busiest border in terms of traffic volumes. The ZRA says that traffic through the border has increased by over 120 percent in the last two years, with the border currently handling “an average of 600 trucks on a normal day and up to 800 trucks per day during serious congestion.”

But from Feb. 1 to 4, no truck crossed into the DRC from Zambia. Now even though the post has reopened, Chilufya Chansa, the interim coordinator for the Southern African Development Community Truck Drivers Association’s Zambia chapter, told IPS that the truckers felt unsafe crossing into the DRC.

“We are not safe. We are just moving by the grace of god,” Chansa told IPS. “Just last week, we had an incident where four trucks belonging to a South African company were attacked by gunmen wearing military uniforms. The gunmen ransacked the trucks and took the drivers’ personal belongings.

“We have been crying to the governments of Zambia and DRC to enforce security measures at the border and surrounding areas. Security wise, we are not safe. The border is still very porous,” he said.

On Feb. 7, a few days after Mwachande’s death, Zambian President Michael Sata issued a statement that his government had “swiftly engaged our Congolese counterparts on the need to avert similar occurrences in future by tightening security at Kasumbalesa and ultimately preventing criminal elements from taking advantage to peddle their narrow and selfish interests.”

Zambia’s Home Affairs Minister Ngosa Simbyakula said that the government was considering setting up a dry port where trucks would offload their cargo for onward transmission by the Congolese truckers.

“If security and safety of our drivers can’t be guaranteed in DRC, the idea of a dry port in Zambia will be seriously pursued so that trucks transporting goods to the DRC can offload here and allow trucks from that country to pick them up here,” Ngosa told journalists.

But Chansa thinks the government should talk less and do more.

“We are no longer interested in promises, we want to see action. We are pleading with the government, please help secure our drivers,” Chansa said.

“The government should take charge to help ensure that when we go to the DRC, we come back safe with everything still intact.”

Despite the truckers’ concerns, ZRA corporate communications manager Mumbuna Kufekisa told IPS that “the traffic situation at Kasumbalesa has returned to normal.”

“The queue on the Zambian side has [typically] less than 200 trucks and all of them are new arrivals. We had to put up some management intervention measures to mitigate the situation,” he said.

“We are still making sustained efforts to ensure efficient trade facilitation across our frontier. We will also continue engaging our valued stakeholders, the drivers and clearing agents, to ensure minimum disturbances at the border by employing proactive and  peaceful conflict resolution strategies,” Kufekisa added.

However, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa secretary general Sindiso Ngwenya told journalists that the skirmishes were affecting regional trade, and called for the removal of armed security personnel manning road blocks for goods in transit.

“If we can remove them and put them where they should be, I don’t think we would be having these problems,” Ngwenya said in a statement.

Mailes Zulu, an environmental activist from Zambezi District, Zambia, protested on the sidelines of COP17, demanding that the voices of the poor be heard in issues of climate change and sustainable development. Credit: Ephraim Nsingo/IPS

By Eprahim Nsingo
Jun 22 2012 (IPS)

As social movements blasted the “new green economy” proposed at Rio+20 this week, environmental activists in Zambia worried about the role that poor people, especially those in rural areas, are going to play in it.

On Jun. 20 at least 50,000 people protested in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil against the outlined agreement for the United Nations Conference for Sustainable Development, or Rio+20, which ends Jun. 22.

Protestors said the green economy idea was just a facade, and solved nothing in respect to what matters to workers: decent employment, collective bargaining rights, autonomous organisation, equal wages for men and women and the end of slave labour.

Mailes Zulu, an environmental activist from Zambezi District, in the North Western Province of this southern African nation, is one of those who are not optimistic about the summit.

Zulu leads a community-based organisation called Save the Environment and People Agency (SEPA), which advocates sustainable environmental management.

The Rio+20 conference comes at a time when there is growing investor interest in Zambia, especially in the mining sector. The country is rich in copper and cobalt resources – it is ranked as the world’s seventh-largest producer of copper and the second-largest global producer of cobalt.

Among other things, Zulu is concerned that while the country’s North Western Province is rich in minerals and other natural resources, “communities are never consulted, and in a majority of cases, most of the profits are not even kept in the community.”

She said that there was need to look into the plight of rural communities, which are often relocated to pave the way for the establishment of commercial activities.
“More investment also means increased displacements for rural people. Those are issues that need to be discussed.

“One way of making sure we strike a balance is to make sure a certain percentage, say 10 percent, of the profits made in a certain area are ploughed back into the communities. When you look on the ground, the poverty levels are very high because there are no agreements to force investors to pay a certain percentage back to the community.”

Green Living Movement director Emmanuel Mutamba agreed with Zulu and said that ways needed to be found to ensure that people benefit from the natural resources found in their areas. The Green Living Movement is a social development and environment organisation in Zambia.

“There is always going to be demand for land for investment,” said Mutamba. “I think the argument is about the manner in which this is done and the laws thereof. How do the local people come into the equation?”

It is also an issue of concern to the government, as expressed in Zambia’s position paper to Rio+20, presented by Environment Minister Wilbur Simusa on Jun. 14.

“We also know the high impact mining has had in terms of land degradation, water and air pollution and the wellbeing of our mining communities. To ensure a sustainable future for our mining sector and the communities who serve it, government and our mining partners must work together for the wellbeing of all involved with Zambia’s economic engine,” reads part of the message, called “The Zambia We Want”.

In November 2011, Zulu travelled to Durban, South Africa by road with other participants in the Trans African Caravan of Hope, a campaign that aimed to rally Africans around the issues of climate change and climate justice. There she took part in a number of demonstrations on the sidelines of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in order to try and get the message across.

But seven months later, the message remains to be heard.

“All we want is to be consulted, and have our views listened to,” Zulu said.

Simon Mwamba, the Zambia coordinator of the Eastern and Southern Africa Small Scale Farmers Forum, says the exclusion of the interests of the poor extends to smallholder farmers. He said that small-scale farmers are disadvantaged because they do not have access to processing and markets.

“We should not look at sustainable production as increased production,” Mwamba told IPS.

“When we talk about sustainable development, we need to look at the environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and other social factors. You can put more money to boost production, but while increasing environmental degradation, which will have far-reaching impact on the poor.”

Mary Sakala, a farmer from Mumbwa in Zambia’s Central Province, told IPS that during the last farming seasons she produced more than 400 bags or 20 tonnes of maize, and a sizeable quantity of other crops. But she needed support to find a market for her produce.

“We need support in terms of selling our crops. They (Rio+20 participants) should also give us ideas of how we can improve our yields without destroying the environment,” Sakala told IPS.

Mwamba said that the biggest challenge would be policy shifts that would address smallholder farmers’ lack of access to processing facilities.

“At the moment, farmers just produce but there is no value addition, because most of the products are lost in what I call economic leakages. This is where farmers end up losing more on transportation and other costs, trying to access markets and processing facilities. This will also be a way of creating more employment opportunities at community level,” said Mwamba.

By Eprahim Nsingo and Lwanga Mwilu
LUSAKA, Sep 23 2011 (IPS)

The election of Michael Chilufya Sata as Zambia’s new president shows that Zambians are more interested in issues of accountability and transparency than mere service delivery, say analysts.

Zambians went to the polls on Sep. 20 and elected a new president. Credit: Ephraim Nsingo/IPS

Sata’s victory brings an end to the 20-year rule of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), where he was formerly a national secretary before breaking away. This was Sata’s fourth attempt at the presidency.

Reuben Lifuka, president of Transparency International Zambia, an international civil society movement with an exclusive focus on corruption, told IPS that Sata’s and the Patriotic Front’s (PF) victory showed political players that they should not be complacent.

“This election has changed the political landscape,” said Lifuka.

He said that when the MMD first came to power in the 1990s their focus had been on service delivery.

“Now people are not just interested in roads, boreholes, schools, and other social services. They are more interested in other aspects of governance. The new yardstick is not about how many boreholes the new government will construct, but how the whole governance process is carried out. People are more interested in issues of accountability and transparency.”

Sata, 74, was declared winner of the country’s Sep. 20 general elections with 43 percent of the vote in the early hours of Friday morning after he beat nine other presidential candidates. Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Justice Irene Mambilima announced the results though votes from seven remaining constituencies had yet to be counted. Sata garnered 1,150,045 votes.

His closest rival, President Rupiah Banda Banda of the MMD, took 36.1 percent of the total votes. Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development came third with 18.5 percent.

The other seven candidates shared the remainder.

Sata was quoted in Zambia’s The Post newspaper as saying that Mambilima woke him up early Friday with news of his victory.

“This is the beginning of the long journey and where we are going, it is not easy. It has not been easy because this result should have been declared two days earlier,” he told the newspaper. The PF claimed that the results had not been announced sooner because the MMD had tried to change them, a charge Banda denied.

Making his maiden speech as president on Friday afternoon at his inauguration, Sata promised to create jobs and transform government within 90 days – a pledge he made during his campaign.

The leader of the PF also indirectly dispelled widespread concerns that he would pounce on Chinese investors, saying he would work to attract foreign investment, but stressed that investors “need to adhere to the labour laws” of Zambia. He has criticised Chinese investment in Zambia in the past.

In a show of reconciliation Sata arrived at his inauguration with Banda; the two have had a hostile relationship in the past.

Sata’s victory was celebrated across the country. Jubilant Zambians took to the streets singing, dancing, chanting slogans, honking car horns, blowing vuvuzelas (a plastic horn) and flashing the PF party symbol of a raised fist.

“This is good news, we knew this time we were going to (win). Last time they cheated us and only beat us by 35,000 votes, but this time we did not give them a chance,” said Christine Chisulo, who was part of a group of young people who took to the streets in Lusaka’s Woodlands suburb to celebrate Sata’s victory.

Reacting to the PF’s victory, losing presidential candidate Ng’andu Magande said the only other times he had seen such scenes of joy over a political victory were when this Southern African country gained independence from Britain in 1964 and in 1991 when Zambia became a multi-party democracy.

“The removal of a government through the ballot sends an important message that (political) office belongs to the citizens and those leaders who do not do what is expected of them will be removed,” he said.

Banda conceded electoral defeat on Friday in a farewell address to the nation.

“The election campaign of 2011 is over. The people of Zambia have spoken and we must all listen,” said Banda.

He called for maturity, composure and compassion, and urged the victors to celebrate with a magnanimous heart.

“Enjoy the hour but remember that a term of government is for (five) years. Remember that the next election will judge you also. Treat those who you have vanquished with the respect and humility that you would expect in your own hour of defeat,” he said.

Banda said his party would accept the results as they would not “deny Zambians”. He said his party never rigged elections, never cheated and never knowingly abused state funds.

The outgoing president, who was in a sombre mood, wondered where his party had gone wrong.

“We must all face the reality that sometimes it is time for change,” he said.

Banda said he has “no ill feeling in my heart, there is no malice in my words”, saying he believed Zambia was still “in good hands”.

“But now it is time for me to step aside. Now is the time for a new leader. My time is done. It is time for me to say good bye,” he said.

McDonald Lewanika, director of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, part of Zimbabwean civil society representatives observing the election, told IPS that while the ECZ could be commended for the transparency of the elections, they could have avoided the violence caused by voting delays.

“There were a number of issues which raised concern, especially issues of logistics, which resulted in unwarranted delays in some areas, and this is what led to the violence.”

On Thursday there were protests on the outskirts of Lusaka’s central business district and there was a heavy police presence in most parts of the Lusaka city centre.

There were also massive protests in the Copperbelt cities of Ndola and Kitwe on Thursday morning. In Kitwe, the Nakadoli Market, which provides employment for hundreds of locals, was razed to the ground by a suspicious fire. Police reportedly used water canons and teargas to break up protests. Some banks suspended business because of the violence.

In a notice to customers, mobile service provider Airtel Zambia announced that the company had closed its stores in the Copperbelt province.

Many businesses had closed and ordered their employees to stay at home until the situation normalised.

Excerpt:

By Lwanga Mwilu and Eprahim Nsingo
LUSAKA, Sep 20 2011 (IPS)

Only two incidents of violence, triggered by the late start of voting and the suspicion of electoral fraud, were reported as Zambians went to the polls to elect a new president and government on Tuesday.

Zambians went to the polls to elect a new president and government on Tuesday. Credit: Lwanga Mwilu/IPS

The nationwide violence expected and feared by many did not occur as citizens spent Monday stocking up on basic commodities.

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has dismissed reports of electoral fraud and extended voting hours at all polling stations affected by the late commencement.

In a live broadcast on local radio Q-FM, ECZ public relations manager Chris Akufuna announced that all voting will be extended at these polling stations.

Some polling stations did not open at 6am as planned as voting materials had not been delivered. In Kanyama and Lilanda East in Lusaka the late commencement of voting triggered violence. When ballot papers were finally delivered, some irate voters tore them and set them alight claiming that they were pre-marked in favour of a particular candidate.

The situation in both areas degenerated when some citizens became riotous. At the Lilanda Basic School polling station in Lilanda compound, vehicles were stoned and one was set ablaze.

At Nakatindi polling station in Kanyama compound, voting had not started by midday and infuriated citizens ran riot as they suspected the ballots were pre-marked and they vandalised the voting area. Akufuna described the violence as unfortunate and denied suggestions that it was due to a lack of preparedness on the commission’s part.

“The ECZ was very prepared for these elections and the situation of the late delivery of materials in Lusaka is just disappointing … Our instructions were that all materials be in polling stations yesterday. As a commission, we will ultimately take responsibility for these disruptions but we tried our best to ensure the best scenario,” he said.

A number of reports of pre-marked ballots have emerged in different parts of the country but Akufuna dismissed all these allegations of electoral fraud.

“That is just a report. It does not arise because all ballot papers were physically inspected and none were pre-marked. These reports are probably emanating from people who wish us ill. Yes we have had challenges and we are dealing with them but fraud is not one of them,” Akufuna said.

As the clock ticked towards the opening of polling stations for Zambia’s tripartite elections, the fears of Zambians became evident on Monday.

Scores of people rushed to supermarkets to buy basic commodities, fearing that the situation could deteriorate after the elections.

“I am just trying to be on the safe side, people are circulating all sorts of rumours about what may happen after the election. I have bought enough food for my family for the next few weeks, just in case we experience what happened in Zimbabwe (after the 2008 elections), where they stayed for more than a month waiting for results, and during that time there was a lot of violence.

“Schools have not closed, but I will not take my children to school until after we are sure the situation has calmed down,” said Kaywala Chibwe, one of the many shoppers who filled up their trolleys at a Lusaka supermarket.

Some supermarkets even struggled to supply enough trolleys for their customers.

Meanwhile, the country’s only female presidential candidate, Edith Nawakwi of the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD), called for peace ahead of Tuesday’s vote.

“We need peace, we need stability and we need our people to start thinking about creating wealth at household level,” said Nawakwi.

“Zambia is the heart of central Africa. Anything that goes wrong here during or after the elections will affect our brothers and sisters in the region. Zambians must understand that in the region, everybody is busy with a development agenda; no one in Southern Africa wants to start dealing with a horde of refugees that arise out of post-election conflict.” She said she hoped her participation in the elections was a uniting factor for Zambians. “I pray that my fellow Zambian women will realise that women have a much larger role to play in this election and that role is to keep peace in the homes, in the streets, we must pray and urge our members, our children not to involve themselves in violence,” Nawakwi said.

“I am appealing that…after the elections, people must conduct themselves in a manner that will ensure that there is peace and stability for all citizens,” said presidential candidate Dr. Fred Mtesa of the Zambians for Empowerment and Development.

United party for National Development presidential candidate Hakainde Hichilema said: “We have done enough work and the rest is for the people for Zambia to decide what they want, what sort of life they want. We have given the message.”

Excerpt:

By Eprahim Nsingo
LUSAKA, Aug 10 2011 (IPS)

In Zambia’s highly patriarchal society Edith Nawakwi, 52, has broken a few records on the political scene over the last two decades. And she broke another one on Sunday by being the only female candidate to file for nomination to run for president in Zambia’s upcoming elections.

Edith Nawakwi is the only female candidate to run for president in Zambia's upcoming elections. Credit: Ephraim Nsingo/IPS

All candidates are required to file nomination papers with the country’s Supreme Court to get legal confirmation that they are standing as a presidential candidate. Come election day on Sept. 20, about 17 candidates will battle it out to lead the country. Nawakwi is well-known in Zambian politics. In 1997 she became the first woman in southern Africa to be appointed as a minister of finance. The former member of the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) left it in 2001 when she and other officials opposed then President Fredrick Chiluba’s bid for a third term.

They formed the Forum for Democratic Development (FDD) and Nawakwi was elected as the party’s first vice president. In 2005 she became the first Zambian woman to lead a political party when she was elected president of the FDD.

Excerpts from the interview follow.

Q: You have just filed for nomination as a presidential candidate. What was going through your mind? A: As I went to file my nomination, as I walked up to the Chief Justice, I asked myself ‘Why am I doing this?’ I was (asking) myself ‘am I equal to the task?’ But when I looked at my supporters and their excitement, it helped me appreciate the trust. I believe Zambia is ready for a woman to be president. Only a woman can bring about real change in this country.

Q: What can be done to change the mindset, the negative perception and stereotypes about women? A: Zambian women have the same rights as men, and running for political office is not an exception. When I took over as minister of finance people had all sorts of negative questions because I was a woman… I was minister of finance during one of the most difficult phases in the history of our country, but I managed to contain the situation.

I was minister of finance at a time when Zambia was at its lowest. I remember there was a day when I was required to effect payment for half a million dollars and the government did not have any money. We had to borrow from one of our commercial banks. We were trying to liberalise the economy but we had no income in the country. I was privileged to be one of those who managed to push through the structural adjustment programme.

Liberia has had the best leader (President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf) post conflict to manage that economy. And it is not just about the economy, but people’s attitudes as well. I believe that if Africa believed that one of its major assets is women, we would be much better.

Look at what is happening in Libya, Somalia and all the carnage… who is making those decisions? The motherly instinct of a woman would not allow such, as mothers our stomachs move when we see such carnage.

I believe that with women in charge, we would not be seeing most of the conflicts we are seeing in Africa today.

Q: You are the only woman who has filed for nomination as president. You are also the only female president of a political party in Zambia. Is this a sign that women are not yet ready for the challenge? A: We have to start somewhere, and this is what we have been discussing with other women. I am a product of the women’s lobby myself… in a highly patriarchal society like ours, you have to break that mind-set that women cannot do certain things. I was democratically elected as president of our party at a convention that was contested by five men and they all confirmed that I was better than them. Having broken that barrier, I see more of our (women) colleagues coming in.

Q: What is it that you are going to do differently during this campaign? A: Nothing and no one will stop me now. I believe that Zambia will only be saved by a woman and that Zambia is ready for a woman president. As soon as the men heard I was contesting, they all panicked. I will work and deliver like I delivered when I was minister of finance. The current leadership belongs to the liberation struggle era. We need leadership for the 21st century!

Our agenda when we get into government (will) be to provide a constitution that provides for the rights of all individuals, including women and persons with disabilities.

Q: In terms of policies, what are the major highlights of your manifesto? A: We are pushing for the decentralisation of political and economic power, to ensure that our people are empowered to drive development.

I am a passionate believer in the power that the country has in its people… our people’s quality of life continues to decline, yet we are one of the richest countries in the world. There is no deliberate policy to put the ordinary Zambian at the centre of any economic policy.

This is because we have an over centralised government and this has been the case since the colonial days when resource allocation was done in line with (what) had been used in Britain. This unfortunately resulted in corruption. Resource allocation is centred in the hands of a few … we need political and economic decentralisation.

If you have decentralisation, even members of parliament will now be interested in serving their people at the local level because that is where the resources will be directed. You will see that most of the world’s successful economies have been decentralised.

Q: How do you intend to make decentralisation work in Zambia? A: I think that for purposes of accountability and transparency there is a need to make sure planning is influenced from the district. We would want to have the minister of finance to come up with budgets for districts, which then coordinate the allocation of resources.

Excerpt:

By Eprahim Nsingo
LUSAKA, May 5 2011 (IPS)

Zambia has enjoyed economic growth of around six percent per year over the past decade, says Patrick Mucheleka, but the government is failing to translate this into social and economic development for the majority of citizens. The upcoming conference on least developed countries in Turkey offers an opportunity to recalibrate the country’s approach to development.

Mining truck at Nchanga: strong economic growth on the back of commodity exports is not enough. Credit: Blue Salo/Wikicommons

Mucheleka, who heads Civil Society for Poverty Reduction, a network of more than 140 pro-poor develompent organisations in Zambia, says the economic growth figures have to be discounted against the growth in the country’s population. Further, the sectors that have driven growth are capital-intensive, creating relatively few new jobs.

Zambia will be among the countries participating in the United Nations Fourth Conference on Least Developed Countries in Istanbul beginning on May 9. The conference – along with a forum on the U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act which will be hosted in Lusaka in June – offer fresh opportunities to recalibrate Zambia’s approach to development.

Q: What issues with Zambia’s economic performance and governance record do you think should be addressed at the LDC conference in Istanbul to ensure that development benefits all Zambians? A: There are a number of issues. Zambia should address the need for targets on human development and be able to state by what percentage we shall reduce poverty in particular years.

The country should also discuss stimulation of economic growth in rural areas.

The government should also address the empowerment and active participation of the poor in the governance on one hand and the accountability of public institutions to the poor on the other hand. This constitutes a critical platform for human development and poverty reduction.

Q: What specific recommendations would you make in relation to the energy, mining and agriculture sectors as we ready for the conferences? A: Emphasis should be placed on the agriculture sector as it is the provider of livelihood for majority of the population and has a direct link to poverty eradication. The sector needs substantial investment in infrastructure and research as well as effective farming practice, sustainable technologies, access to financing and marketing mechanism.

The Zambian government has to think broadly about agriculture, for example the focus on maize production to the neglect of other sub sectors like fisheries and livestock development is not helping the development of agriculture in Zambia.

In the mining sector, the country needs to enhance revenue collection from minerals so that they benefit Zambians and generations to come. As a country we need to move away from copper dependence, long-term and large-scale formal investment in minerals such gemstones, manganese, uranium and other precious metals.

Zambia needs a minerals policy – this policy should state the development of mineral resources taking into consideration the national and strategic considerations.

Energy still remains a challenge across the country. People in especially in rural areas still rely on traditional sources of energy [like firewood and charcoal]. Lack of adequate energy has constrained the development opportunities in Zambia. It is therefore important to expand power infrastructure and increase capacity for energy generation, especially renewable energy.

Q: There has been the suggestion from certain quarters that not enough is being done to attract foreign investment. A: We first of all have to deal with our governance challenges – corruption and constitutionalism.

We need to have a clear roadmap for foreign direct investment. It should be handled in a way that ensures Zambians benefit. For examples investors should be told about the “dos and don’ts” in Zambia, this will help guide them for example on issues of casualisation of labour.

Q: The 2011 African Growth Opportunities Act (AGOA) forum will be held in Zambia in June, under the theme “Enhanced trade through competitiveness, value addition and deep regional integration”. How can Zambia enhance its own economy and pro-poor development in light of this theme and of AGOA itself (ten-year old U.S. legislation intended to offer support and incentives to African countries trading with the U.S.)?

A: The theme itself summarises key issues in enhancing trade – and i would say nothing can be more important than addressing competitiveness, value addition and regional integration – all isues that continue to be a challenge for Zambia. Often our products are not competitive at the regional and world markets.

Generally Zambian products face challenges of low value addition to meet international standards. The theme therefore represents Zambia’s trade challenges and solutions.

What Zambian traders need is access to finance and market information. Access to loans with reasonable interest rates will help trades produce competitive products able to compete at an international level. Access to information would help them to find market for their produce. Traders will then gain in terms of profits.

Q: What should be done to ensure that Zambia gets the best out of the two upcoming conferences? A: Firstly Zambia should provide a truthful analysis of development efforts with their challenges that we are going through as a country. It should not try and paint a picture which is does not exist. The government needs to be open to criticism.

Conferences such as the AGOA and LDC-IV will come up with very good recommendations. The challenge has always been the implementation part of it. It is our hope that this time we shall see real changes in the implementation system in Zambia.

Excerpt:

Mbuya Erica Chirimanyemba is a marvel among women, and men! Watching her digging holes in dry ground earlier this year, her neighbours thought the old lady had gone berserk. But 60-year-old Chirimanyemba was putting an alternative farming technique into practice.

Chirimanyemba in her maize field: conservation agriculture techniques have turned her fortunes around. Credit: Ephraim Nsingo/IPS

And it has paid off so well her husband – who fled the district, defeated by perennial drought eight years ago – has come back home to see the wonders she is working on her farm.

“All along we have been getting it wrong, but now we are farming God’s way, and things are working well for us,” said the energetic 60-year-old.

Chirimanyemba is one of 10,000 small scale farmers in Guruve – an arid district in Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland Central Province – who has adopted conservation farming methods.

Old dogs, older tricks

“Even in the past, this is how our parents used to farm before they started using draught power. The harvests were always very good then because this is God’s way of farming. No matter how many cattle I have, I will never ever use draught power again. I now know the secret of productive farming,” said Chirimanyemba.

The Sustainable Agriculture Trust (SAT) introduced Chirimanyemba to conservation agriculture in 2007. SAT is facilitating the adoption of conservation agriculture in Guruve, with support from the Food Agriculture Organisation under the EU’s Global Food Facility, established in response to the food security crisis that developed in 2008.

Conservation farming involves planting crops in small basins or holes, which minimises tillage. In addition to reducing disturbance of the soil structure, the practice also saves time, energy and money as farmers without cattle or tractors of their own do not have to hire tillage. Other techniques mulching, and judicious mixing and rotation of crops.

Support for farmers

In the 2009/2010 farming season, about 176,000 smallholder farmers nationwide received seed and fertiliser from the EU Food Facility. In February, the EU announced an additional $13 million of support, which will see 80,000 more families benefiting.

As small and large scale farmers prepare to harvest the maize crop in Zimbabwe, it appears yields are much higher for those farmers who use conservation agriculture than those relying on conventional tillage methods.

Ian Henderson, a former commercial farmer now working as an agricultural consultant, said he expected an average yield of 1.5 tonnes per hectare for the 10,000 conservation farmers in the district. This, he said, would ensure that the district has enough food reserves for the next 12 months.

In contrast, this growing season for farmers who used conventional methods will be a disaster. Crops that were planted late wilted before reaching fertilisation stage.

“Those who are not in the programme (of conservation farming) planted late, as they had to wait for the rains in order for them to start preparing their land. By the time they finished planting, our crops were already at knee height,” said Judas Phiri, district supervisor for SAT.

“From the look of things,” Henderson said,” the yields are not that good for those farmers who use conventional tillage, as they had to wait for the first rains before they could prepare their land and plant. For each day a farmer delays to plant after the first rains, you lose 120 kg per hectare. That is a lot, as it translates to more than one tonne in just one week.”

Adapting to conditions

Climate change is creating a nightmare for those who rely on conventional methods. The head of Mavhunga village, Teddy Chihoko, said farmers were having difficulty planning ahead.

“These days it is difficult to tell when the rains will start,” said Chihoko. “This conservation agriculture programme has proven to be very useful in helping farmers prepare on time. It has helped us a lot to develop as a community and to fight poverty.”

After two successful harvests using the conservation techniques, Mbuya Chirimanyemba is the talk of the village. She was even named the best farmer in Guruve district for the 2009/2010 cropping season.

Chirimanyemba’s husband, Lameck, said the family’s adoption of conservation farming has bettered their social standing.

“People always have a better perception of you if they know you have food, than when you are starving. This type of farming has really helped us,” said Lameck. Chirimanyemba’s grandson, who had to drop out of school due to unpaid fees has resumed his education.

“My grandson has also gone back to school. Things are working for me now. In the 2008/2009 farming season, I got 35 bags. This time I am expecting not less than 50 bags. I have no doubt this year I will get my biggest harvest ever,” said Chirimanyemba.