GOVERNMENT NOT COMMITTED TO PROMOTING CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE

27.03.2014

 Conservation Farming Unit (CFU) says the Zambian government is not committed to promoting Conservation Agriculture in the country.

  

CFU Field Supervisor in Mwachisopola Village Maria Kaindu explained to Desire Media Concepts  that if government was serious about practicing Conservation Agriculture it could have made it a policy issue.

Ms Kaindu cited late delivery of farming inputs by government to Small Scale Farmers implementing Conservation Agriculture as lack of seriousness.

She explained that amidst unpredictable rainfall pattern the country is experiencing, Conservation farmers are supposed to plant early if they are to be assured of better yields.

Ms Kaindu  has since  expressed worry at the late coming and early ending of the rain this year adding  that the development will negatively affect farmers who planted their maize late due to delay in delivering farming inputs by government.

“This year’s farming season is really worrying because rains came late and they have gone early. if we had some rains this month, most farmers would have had good to average yields. So it still goes back to early planting again because only farmers who planted early have a good crop as I speak now”, she said.

STOP CUTTING DOWN TREES

‘STOP CUTTING DOWN TREES, USE CONSERVATION METHODS’

Youth Environment Network (YEN) has called on members of the public starting up new settlements to desist from cutting down trees

YEN Executive Director Billy Lombe observes in an interview that instead of cutting trees developers should use methods that will ensure conservation of the trees.

Mr. Lombe explained that people developing new settlements should not clear the entire vegetation including trees but use vegetation conservation methods.

He expressed sadness at the alarming rate at which trees are being cut down in the country adding that the situation is worrisome.

Mr. Lombe has since urged all members of the public to plant more trees so as to avert the effects of climate change.

The out skirts of Lusaka have in the recent past witnessed massive construction of new residential settlements and most developers are hugely cutting down trees.

WORLD METEOROLOGICAL DAY 2014 CELEBRATIONS

PRESS STATEMENT BY METEOROLOGICAL WORLD ORGANISATION, AHEAD OF WORLD METEOROLOGICAL DAY CELEBRATION ON 23RD MARCH 2014

World Meteorological Day is celebrated every year on 23 March to commemorate the entry into force in 1950 of the convention that created the World Meteorological Organization.

The day also highlights the huge contribution that National Meteorological and Hydrological Services make to the safety and well-being of society.

This year's World Meteorological Day theme is “Weather and climate: engaging youth." Today’s youth will benefit from the dramatic advances being made in our ability to understand and forecast the Earth’s weather and climate.

 At the same time, most of today’s youth will live into the second half of this century and experience the increasing impacts of global warming.

A new Youth Corner has been launched in order to explain our weather and climate system and encourage young people to take action on climate change.

The celebration at WMO headquarters will take place Monday 24 March programme (pdf). Special guest is Alain Ratier, director-general of the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT).

There will be a live video hook-up with Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and also with researchers at Neumayer-Sation III in Antarctica.

Mr Ahmad Alhendawi, the UN Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth, will deliver a video message. Media are invited to the ceremony

U$120 MILLION CLIMATE CHANGE KAFUE BASIN DEAL

ZAMBIA SIGNS U$120 MILLION CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECT

The Zambian Government in partnership with the African Development Bank and World Bank on Friday 14^th March 2014 signed a U$ 120 Million climate resilience Project.

The project which will run over for the period of five years in nine districts of the Kafue Sub-Basin is aimed at mitigating the impact of climate change.

According to the Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary Pamela Kabanda the project will strengthen the capacity of 800,000 farmers.

Speaking at a signing ceremony in Lusaka Ms Kabanda noted that there is need for transformational revolution in dealing with climate change adding that the Zambian government is doing so by providing funding towards climate resilience project.

At the same occasion Agriculture and Livestock Deputy Minister Greyford Monde observed that strengthening of climate resilience in the Kafue Sub –Basin will help people in the area to deal with the impact of climate related challenge.

Mr. Monde explained that the Sub-Basin has immense potential for agriculture productivity but the area has been hindered by extreme weather such as drought and floods.

And African Development Bank  (AFDB) President Donald Kaberuka noted that Zambia will lose U$50 billion in economic growth annually if interventions to mitigate climate change are not put in place.

Mr. Kaberuka charged that climate change is a poverty issue and there is need to put in place policies anchored on innovations that reduce threats on the ecosystem hence ensuring sustainable development.

“ In the absence of adaptation 300,000 people will live below the poverty line costing U$ 3.4 million in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) resulting in 0.9 percent in GDP”, he said.

He observed that the Kafue Sub-Basin is expected to suffer more in terms of pollution, deforestation and poor harvest consequently there is need to reduce vulnerability and increase sustainability through timely disbursement of funds.

The AFDB president was speaking in a speech read on his behalf by Bank principal agriculture economist Gbelli Leandre.

Terrafrica Conservation Farming field visit in Mwachisompola Village, Chibombo District in Zambia.

"Promoting smart agriculture to adapt and mitigate the impact of climate change"