In the village of Muyumbana in Central Zambia, it is hard not to notice the maize. It is everywhere—towering six to seven feet high, taking up nearly every piece of open space, and crowding close to homes and schools. When the wind blows through the middle of the planted rows, it sounds like a gentle rainstorm.

Unfortunately, farmers can't always count on their crops getting enough real rain, and this year the maize in Muyumbana hasn't seen enough of it.

VICTORIA FALLS, Zimbabwe – A regional initiative that aims to eliminate malaria in the Zambezi valley was launched today by Zambia and Zimbabwe, with support from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Announced on World Malaria Day, the cross-border initiative will accelerate efforts to eliminate malaria in the region with focused intervention, supported by existing grants from the Global Fund. Zambia and Zimbabwe hosted a series of events today in Livingstone, Zambia and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, to launch the Trans-Zambezi Malaria Initiative.

Maize grain and maize meal are the most important food commodities and indicators of food security in Zambia. All of the markets represented — with the exception of Kitwe — are in provincial centers and thus provide a geographic representation. Chipata and Choma are both areas of high maize production, while Mansa and Mongu are indicative of low production areas. Kabwe, Kitwe, and Lusaka are all urban areas where demand for these commodities is high. Solwezi is a new mining town with an increasing demand for food commodities.

This paper analyses the determinants of farmer adoption of conservation farming practices using panel data from two rounds of the Rural Incomes and Livelihoods Surveys that were implemented in 2004 and 2008. Conservation farming (CF) has been actively promoted in seven of Zambia’s nine provinces since the 1980s. CF has the technical potential to contribute to food security and adaptation to climate change; however, rigorous analyses of the determinants of adoption/dis-adoption of these practices, are still scarce.

Erratic rainfall in the south could significantly reduce yields

KEY MESSAGES

• Acute food insecurity remains Minimal (IPC Phase 1). Most households continue to depend on market purchases for their staple food and the situation is expected to remain stable through June.

• Although erratic rainfall in southern Zambia has affected crop conditions and is likely to reduce yields, the dryness has reduced the risk of flooding in areas in western and southern Zambia has reduced.

Maize grain and maize meal are the most important food commodities and indicators of food security in Zambia. All of the markets represented — with the exception of Kitwe — are in provincial centers and thus provide a geographic representation. Chipata and Choma are both areas of high maize production, while Mansa and Mongu are indicative of low production areas. Kabwe, Kitwe, and Lusaka are all urban areas where demand for these commodities is high. Solwezi is a new mining town with an increasing demand for food commodities.

Link: Zambia: Floods DREF Operation MDRZM008

by Kieran McConville, Video Producer and Communications Specialist

The rainy season begins in October, but February is nearly always the month when floods arrive in earnest in the Western Province of Zambia, with rains continuing until late May. Floods are an annual event in this part of the world, a part of the cycle of life and cultural tradition here for centuries. Though they are expected, as we’ve seen recently in neighboring Mozambique, how they can have devastating consequences on the lives and livelihoods of the poorest people.

Stable food security conditions expected to continue

KEY MESSAGES

• At the peak of the lean season, food insecurity outcomes across the country have mostly remained Minimal (IPC Phase 1). With the significantly reduced supply of maize grain in public markets and at household level, most households are depending on industrially processed maize meal. Maize sales to millers by the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) is keeping the markets adequately supplied, while needy rural communities are also accessing the commodity from the Agency.