The government of Zambia has announced a mechanization initiative to fund small-scale farmers amid a just declared drought emergency.
On February 29, Vice President Mutale Nalumamgo launched the National Agricultural Mechanization Strategy, after which President Hakainde Hichilema declared a national disaster.
The president said that farmers have lost 50% of planted crops after post-El Niño drought affected a million households.
For now, however, the focus is on mechanization projects as they directly concern smallholder farmers who produce 90% of Zambia’s food.
The current aim is to mechanize up to 500,000 hectares of small-scale farming lots around the country by 2027.
To achieve this feasible dream, the vice president committed to initialize a financing system for poor farmers buying mechanical implements.
VP Nalumango defended his promise against drought by saying that climate change could not alter plans to boost farm productivity.
This at a time when 84 of 116 districts in the country are feeling the heat of global warming.
Mechanization Initiative
Mechanization in agriculture is the one area where the South African nation has continued to perform excellently in the 21st century.
Between 2008 and 2018, mechanization programs grew by 3% and drove agricultural productivity by 8% during these ten years.
Major areas of improvement included the expansion of processing facilities in the cassava industry. Zambia also had a target to expand mechanized acreage to 3 million acres by 2018.
Mechanizing Key Crops
Given Zambia’s multiple weather zones which bring mixed productivity, the country has initiated targeted mechanization drives for key crops.
One of these is the soybean Thresher Pilot Project, a July 2023 development component. Mechanical threshers will benefit 90% of household farmers who use hand means to thresh soybeans, an important food security crop.
There have also been research projects in eastern Zambia aiming to propagate drought-resistant legumes that can withstand climate toll.
In short, as Lusaka battles the 2023-24 drought, it is clear that the vision of mechanization remains unstoppable.