By BRIAN HATYOKA and JUDITH NAMUTOWE –
GERMAN Food and Agriculture Federal Minister Christian Schmidt has called for concerted efforts to train small-scale farmers in appropriate farming methods so that they increase their crop yield.
Mr Schmidt said there is need for good cooperation between the Zambian National Farmers Union (ZNFU) as well as the Governments of Zambia and Germany to give more training capacity to small-scale farmers to boost their production.
He noted that training small-scale farmers was the way forward in view of changing rainfall patterns arising from the effects of climate change.
Mr Schmidt was speaking in Jack Mwanampampa Village within Senior Chief Mukuni’s area in Kazungula yesterday where he met scores of farmers.
“There is need to intensify agriculture production with simple mechanism and training. There could be good cooperation between ZNFU, Government and Germany Government to give more training capacity to farmers to boost production.
“This area has very good soil and farmers can have good crop yields if they are properly trained by all stakeholders,” Mr Schmidt said.
He said there was also need to improve the marketing of products so that farmers get an income from their crops.
Mr Schmidt is expected to open a bilateral training project known as Agricultural Knowledge and Technical Centre (AKTC) in Chisamba which would be offering farming techniques to farmers.
“We will have to see what capabilities irrigation brings. We need to assess which kind of crops could be grown in this area where there is not much water. Regional approach and using other alternatives like
irrigation is the way forward,” Mr Schmidt said.
He held women farmers in high esteem as they were the future pillars of agriculture in Zambia and abroad.
“It is not by chance that a female Evelyn Nguleka is the president for both ZNFU and World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO).
“Dr Nguleka once told me in Germany that farming was business and not just an activity done for pleasure which is correct,” Mr Schmidt said.
He said there was need to teach young people in the areas of agriculture so that they learn to be productive at their tender age.
Earlier, Southern Province Minister Nathaniel Mubukwanu said the unfavorable rainfall patterns experienced in the country had severely damaged most crops.