Landscape of the Week: Zambezi Heartland, Zambia

A Recipe for Conservation Agriculture  

By Jimmiel Mandima, Program Director of Policy
African Wildlife Foundation, Washington, DC, USA

Situated in the Middle Zambezi Valley, Siavonga District in southern Zambia now houses a population of approximately 72,000 subsistence farmers and fishers, many having been displaced when the vast Lake Karibawas created half a century ago. But it is a constant scramble for a living in this generally inhospitable landscape. Here, a seemingly gloomy situation is on a transformational path through an initiative that seeks to systematically apply the tenets of conservation agriculture. Diversification of the rural economy in this district is taking advantage of its rich biodiversity while improving local food productivity using locally appropriate technologies.

Characterized by low erratic rainfall and high average temperature conditions, the plateau areas have shallow, mostly infertile soils in contrast to the rich alluvial soils that characterized the banks of the receding Zambezi River. It is a harsh environment of extreme heat, low average precipitation, and relatively poor soils. Abject poverty renders the community perpetually dependent on food aid, as they rarely manage to produce enough food to sustain themselves in between seasons. The dry setting is juxtaposed with southern Africa’s lifeline, the Zambezi River, yet accessing the water and using it for productive agriculture in well selected appropriate zones remains a pipedream. It thus comes as no surprise that the quest to improve household food security has over time caused gradual, but significant, degradation of the still relatively intact forest habitats through the practice of ‘shifting cultivation’.

At the same time, the area is endowed with diverse forest habitats, rich in other forms of biodiversity, including megafauna like the African elephant. As the population of this large African pachyderm in neighboring Zimbabwe spills over the Zambezi River to Siavonga in search of open habitat, human-elephant conflict becomes a growing concern. This cross-border movement of elephants results in extensive crop damage, exacerbating food insecurity and, understandably, creating serious acrimony among local inhabitants.

In response to these challenges, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) partnered with Golden Valley Agricultural Research Trust (GART), the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MACO), traditional leaders and other local entities, with support from the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC), to carry out conservation actions aimed at rationalizing land use in the period 2008 through 2010. Detailed socioeconomic and ecological baseline assessments produced updated ‘situation analyses’, including geo-referencing key features and attributes of four wards that are most affected by human wildlife conflict. A participatory land use planning process zoned different parts of the target wards for different uses. This ‘plan’ recommends zones for tourism development, wildlife movement corridors, mixed use (which includes agriculture and human settlement) and wilderness / biodiversity conservation as core areas (see map).

With guidance from MACO’s district agriculture extension team, the traditional leadership and technical support from GART, 250 local farmers were selected to implement appropriate conservation agriculture techniques in portions of their farmlands. The aim was to demonstrate that non-conventional agriculture, when applied to carefully selected zones, can result in higher yields than conventional methods and have the added value of safeguarding the overall ecosystem integrity.

The lead farmers were trained to use less labor intensive land preparation methods like potholing, furrowing, and zero tillage to retain water and reduce soil erosion respectively. Farmers are encouraged to use a broader set of crops, combining different varieties of cereals, legumes, chili pepper, local vegetables, and agro-forestry. Such diversification provides for maximum soil cover, shade, soil nutrient enrichment, and production of food crops, as well as balanced nutrition and, in some cases, fodder for domestic animals.

Over two seasons, farmers applied these techniques and sustainably intensified agriculture to yield more food within restricted zones set aside for agriculture without encroaching on or degrading the forests. While farmers expressed that they were excited and harvesting more than with conventional methods, longer-term investment in monitoring is needed to account for variables (e.g. drought, crop damage by wild animals) and build the evidence base for the success of these methods. Another method met with success was the use simple fences with ropes laced with chili pepper paste to protect farmlands closest to wildlife areas from damage by elephants. This approach, while relatively new in this part of Zambia and still relatively limited in scope, has potential for both biodiversity conservation and food security benefits. Use of chili pepper as a deterrent was well accepted and there was increased demand for this method from farmers. A consortium of local partners (AWF included), registered as Biodiversity Hub Trust, continue to conduct training for farmers and agriculture extension workers to roll out this approach.

It is envisaged that if implemented at the appropriate scale, with complementary partners working together and well coordinated, such an integrated approach ushers in an era for local communities in Siavonga to diversify the rural economy. This would ultimately mean an increased income from wildlife-based tourism enterprises, improved food security from best practice techniques, and enhanced ecosystem health services provided by the protected forests and riparian habitats.

Learn more about the Zambezi Heartland and the elephant conservation activities on the AWF website.