Due to harsh climatic conditions in Siavonga District, the project is intended to enhance resilient enterprise development by using Information Communication Technologies (ICT) through community-based stewardship on neglected and underutilized animal and plant species. The ICT-based promotion of access to, adaptation and effective use of tools and resources will apply bottom-up decision-making process as it will integrate relevant stakeholders.
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Siavonga District, Southern Province
Describe the specific community with whom you will be working.
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
The Project will introduce ICT-based user friendly extension messages to communities in which communities shall use in knowledge acquisition and transfer and in enhancing knowledge management, efficient farming practices and market linkages with a view to inform and transform them. Development of early warning systems through networking on climate changes shall be one of the core media outputs including agro-environmental events promotions.
What technologies and digital tools do you plan to use in the trainings?
Describe the connections that you or your organization have already established that will contribute to the success of the project.
The Project involves CEPRON and Save Rural Africa Foundation (SARAF), a foundation established by 287 traditional chiefs in the country with intent to build capacity of resource-poor communities in agriculture, natural resource and rural development. The Project will address ICT access, ownership and control of resources by engaging key decision makers through the Government. Furthermore, the project is grass-root based at chiefdom level.
How many participants do you think will be involved in your project?
The project will be gender sensitive and intends to draw key participants from the 4 chiefdoms. 50 will be trained in on-line issues covering local resources in the area. Out of 50, 30 are envisaged to be women and 12 youths. Selection of participants and management of ICT equipment will be participatory and will be done by the individual communities taking into account individual abilities as they know each other better than Project Staff.
Besides the microgrant funding, what other resources and support are you seeking for your project to ensure its success?
We will need technical support in developing a Website that will host project activities that include climate change, effective early warning services, environment and natural resource management; promoting “bottom-up decision-making schemes” in line with rural development at grass-root level. It will also highlight success stories, events, research and link learning opportunities to local and international partner organisations in the network.
Contact name
Derek Mundia – Projects Coordinator, to be supported by a Rural Development Officer and ICT Facilitator
Twitter URL
9 comments
The Project on neglected and underutilized animal and plant species targeted at communities with ICT support tools in the District can be a leverage to job creation for the communities while at same time used as prime mover for sustainable development in line with issues of green economy embracing climatic conditions prevailing in the semi-arid rural areas. This is because Neglected species are those grown primarily in their centres of origin or centres of diversity by traditional farmers, where they are still important for the subsistence of local communities. Some species may be globally distributed, but tend to occupy special niches in the local economy and in local production and consumption systems. While these crops continue to be maintained by socio-cultural preferences and local use practices, they remain inadequately characterized and neglected by research and conservation. As for Underutilized species, these were once more widely grown but are falling into disuse due to various agronomic, genetic, economic and cultural factors. Therefore, the communities need to enhance the resources available in their areas considering that the global consumers may be influenced by changing food culture, ease of processing and availability. The eco-geographic decline of these species may erode their genetic base thus restricting future development options. It is good project for the District and surrounding areas within the region and those with similar climatic conditions at global level. We support such initiatives as young entrepreneurs under the Youth Entrepreneurs Association of Zambia (YEAZ), an association comprising of youths aged between 15 and 35 years old involved in events, awareness and advocacy to do with community-based projects initiatives at grassroots level covering Zambia and collaborating at regional and international level. Samuel Mulenga – President, Youth Entrepreneurs Association of Zambia (YEAZ)
The Project is good considering the need to improve sustainable land management and create plant and animal-based livelihoods for the arid and marginal lands in the low rainfall belt of the Zambezi Valley Basin, which calls for the broadening of underutilized Plant and Animal Species through applied, participatory and transformational research. It is now becoming appropriate to prioritize project initiatives and research activities in the marginal lands that hosts many underutilized species by blending indigenous knowledge with scientific technologies through community-based management initiatives. The move towards livelihoods-based analysis and programming through applied, participatory and transformational project initiatives and research is particularly important in the arid dry land areas as a response to climate change considering climate change is now perceived to be an added cost and risk to local development processes. Maureen Sumbwe (Ms), Executive Director, Zambia Federation of Women in Business (ZFAWIB)
Derek your project on Community Based ICT Stewardship Leverage on under utilized species is good. I as a development practitioner am interested in under utilized livestock and plant species. How ever I need to learn more on what and how you are going to get farmers active in ICT in a peer environment not faicilitator farmer environment. How will you excite and mantain their interest and participation. I am sure its all in there but I some how missed it. I have worked on promoting goats and rabbits as underutilized livestock. Ihave also worked on small grains as under utilized crops. Let us share and build our projects. Irene Dube Director Development and Finance Institute For Rural Women Trust Zimbabwe.
Yes, I agree with Irene Dube, Institute For Rural Women Trust Zimbabwe, the Project is good and belongs to everybody with passion to help the marginalized communities. So it is an opportunity for all of us to work together towards common goals while recognizing and appreciating diversity at district, national and regional level of which all those with desire to help others are invited to participate in district, national and regional level committees and actions. Some of the problems seen today stem in part from a global neglect of agriculture in developing countries in the past, especially on neglected and underutilized species that requires support in view of the fact that the world faces the looming challenge of feeding an expanding population that is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, from just over 7 billion today, while climate change is increasing uncertainty for farmers. Ensuring a food supply that can meet the world’s future needs will require an increased focus on following areas: First, we need to focus on innovation through participatory ICT. Doing that will require investing in research, increasing sustainable intensification of agriculture, and creating access to new technologies and processes that are effective, environmentally friendly such as conservation farming, and equitable. Second, improving markets and market access for smallholder farmers is vital for lifting poor farmers out of poverty and increasing productivity. There are those amongst smallholder farmers who produce more than what they need for consumption but then don’t have where to take the surplus. Creating ICT networks can better connect growers with the markets that need their crops while also improving the farmers’ access to supplies and information. Third, supporting the people at the heart of the agriculture value chain is vital to the equation. Smallholder farmers, particularly women farmers who produce most of the food crops such as millet, sorghum, pumpkins and many others including small ruminants in developing countries, are important to future productivity gains. Helping them to produce higher yields and production – through research, education, access to markets through ICT will lead to greater production and prosperity. All this can succeed if greater multi-disciplinary collaboration to bring the solutions together like Institute For Rural Women Trust Zimbabwe on neglected and underutilized species through ICT can be enhanced for marginalized resource poor communities especially that Zambia and Zimbabwe share borders. This will require a package of interventions and be country or regional – and locality specific in their application such as `Climate Smart Agriculture’. Prince Makondo, Agriculturist.
The Project on neglected and underutilized animal and plant species comes in at the appropriate time as it will enable the marginalized communities to take development through promotion of local resources in the area and the region as a whole. The project is one avenue of creating a positive attitude towards agro-ecosystem, environmental protection and natural resource management but our advice to you. Kindly ensure that marginalized women and youths play major role in promoting access to, adaptation and effective use of available tools and resources covering the local species applying bottom-up decision-making process at community level. We as the Small-Scale Industries Association of Zambia (SSIAZ), a national (Micro Small and Medium Enterprise) MSME Association with 80% female membership promoting small businesses, agricultural production and value addition across the country would like to see in the Project delivering outcomes that add value through transformational products and value chain tracking using ICT appropriate technologies. Mukuka W.B. Nunkwe – President, SMALL-SCALE INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION OF ZAMBIA (SSIAZ)
Yes, I agree with Irene Dube, Institute For Rural Women Trust Zimbabwe, the Project is good and belongs to everybody with passion to help the marginalized communities. Some of the problems seen today stem in part from a global neglect of agriculture in developing countries in the past, especially on neglected and underutilized species that requires support in view of the fact that the world faces the looming challenge of feeding an expanding population that is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, from just over 7 billion today, while climate change is increasing uncertainty for farmers. Ensuring a food supply that can meet the world’s future needs will require an increased focus on following areas: First, we need to focus on innovation through participatory ICT. Doing that will require investing in research, increasing sustainable intensification of agriculture, and creating access to new technologies and processes that are effective, environmentally friendly such as conservation farming, and equitable. Second, improving markets and market access for smallholder farmers is vital for lifting poor farmers out of poverty and increasing productivity. Creating ICT networks can better connect growers with the markets that need their crops and animals while also improving the farmers’ access to supplies and information. Third, supporting the people at the heart of the agriculture value chain is vital to the equation. Smallholder farmers, particularly women farmers who produce most of the food crops such as millet, sorghum, pumpkins and many others including small ruminants in developing countries, are important to future productivity gains. All this can succeed if greater multi-disciplinary collaboration to bring the solutions together like Institute For Rural Women Trust Zimbabwe on neglected and underutilized species through ICT can be enhanced for marginalized resource poor communities especially that Zambia and Zimbabwe share borders. This will require a package of interventions and be country or regional – and locality specific in their application such as `Climate Smart Agriculture’. Prince Makondo, Agriculturist.
Yes, the Project is good. In terms of pro-poor development, recent models predict dramatic increases in neglected and underutilized species especially for wildlife habitats, indigenous plants species ranging from crops, vegetables and trees and their by-products, suggesting that a huge market is waiting to be supplied through development of neglected and underutilized species, which would lead to the uplifting of livelihoods and sustainable rural development. The community’s livelihoods through neglected and underutilized species do not just go beyond selling of such products on the local markets but involve stringent control measures in production, collection, processing, storage, transport, marketing and sales. The resultant information on underutilized Plant and Animal Species with historical significance and potential for the future could subsequently form a basis for policy makers and other interested parties to develop appropriate interventions and strategies for the region. The new indigenous knowledge actively solicited through community participatory ICT should enable policy to be driven towards the implementation of new technologies aimed at increasing the economic returns realised from the local neglected and underutilized plants and livestock species. All this calls for support to organizations involved in the harvest, process and/or trade in natural products. Esther Kalonga, Community Development Practitioner, Zambia
Thanks to all of you for your comments. Indeed, the Project is community participatory and networking aimed at filling the need to do with food crisis response in the area that includes everyone so our desire is to see that the Project succeeds at all cost. It is also dedicated to raising gender awareness and improving gender mainstreaming to promote improved gender equality and gender equity in rural development for the area. Indeed, we will appreciate working with all other minded organisations with solid links to grassroots communities like Irene Dube, from the Institute For Rural Women Trust, Zimbabwe, and those within the region. Your participation and support by way of offering and providing on-site support will enable us develop innovative conceptual models comprising mechanisms and processes through participatory research and development (R&D) focused on promoting community joint innovation processes covering neglected and underutilized animal and plant species at the local, national, regional and international levels as a whole. I would appreciate Institute For Rural Women Trust, Zimbabwe others to contact me using email: ceprongo@yahoo.com Derek Mundia, Project Coordinator, CEPRON ZAMBIA
Dear Derek, Thank you for the invitation I will get in touch soon. Irene Institute for Rural Women Trust