Zambia: Building resilience to climate shocks

This report covers the level of Zambia's resilience to climate shocks. The report consists of contextual information, coverage of changes in rainfall and temperature patterns, and the impact of natural hazards. Adaptation measures to mitigate against climate shocks and build long-term resilience in the country is then analysed, with a particular focus on the government's flagship policy, the National Adaptation Plan (NAP).

The paper comes to six conclusions:

1. The intensification of climate risks demands action to protect lives, build resilience, and sustain economic development.
2. Strengthening climate adaptation-through resilient agriculture, diversified energy, sustainable forestry, and institutional reforms-are key to enable Zambia to build resilience.
3. Ensuring consistency between national development objectives and sectoral strategies across all levels of government and the wider public sector is key.
4. In the agriculture sector, Zambia should promote drought and flood resistant seeds, crop diversification, and expanding irrigation to reduce vulnerability to erratic rainfall and prolonged dry spells.
5. Zambia should also work to improve disaster risk management and early warning systems, enhancing the capacity of institutions and communities to respond effectively to climate-related hazards and increasing public awareness to strengthen preparedness.