Agriculture the biggest earner and biggest victim of climate change in Zambia

By Christine Chisha

In Zambia, any change in climate can spell disaster as a majority of Zambians depend on agriculture and so even a slight change in temperature can affect crops like maize with catastrophic consequences for livelihood. But this is already happening.

In the east part of Zambia, the adverse effects of climate change are evident. The once passable canals are now clogged owing to either floods or severe droughts and that’s making it difficult for the people and the livestock to survive.

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The minister for agriculture said 36 projects have been instituted in districts to ensure that the local people cope with the effects of climate change. “We have suffered a lot at the hands of climate change since we were hit by droughts two years in a row. We hope that these programmes, under the US $36 million African Development Bank funding, will help mitigate the effects,” he said.

He added that the government will work towards linking the livestock and gardening projects in the district so that the initiatives benefit the locals. “With clear policies in place, the agriculture industry will transform the Zambian economy. Agriculture is life and that is the reason why we need a new agricultural revolution. We cannot continue to use the same methods that have failed us in the past,” Katambo said.