Muchinga Provincial Administration launches El-Nino awareness programme

The Muchinga Provincial Administration has launched a comprehensive El-Nino Awareness and Farmer Resilience Programme across the region, targeting 93,688 beneficiaries under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) and 15,000 lead farmers. The initiative is strategically…

The Muchinga Provincial Administration has launched a comprehensive El-Nino Awareness and Farmer Resilience Programme across the region, targeting 93,688 beneficiaries under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) and 15,000 lead farmers.

The initiative is strategically designed to equip local farmers with vital knowledge, practical skills and infrastructure necessary to mitigate the impacts of El-Nino and ensure sustainable and uninterrupted agricultural production.

According to a press statement issued to the media by Muchinga Province Principal Public Relations Officer, Ruth Mumba, the ambitious programme is a robust move to safeguard food security and livelihoods against the devastating effects of climate change.

Ms Mumba stated that the selected participants are undergoing training in Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA), highlighting key interventions under the resilience drive which include mass awareness campaigns that will be broadcasted through community radio stations, enhanced wetland crop production and the construction of irrigation weirs.

She explained that the Provincial Administration is expanding all-year-round farming by providing farmers with direct access to four mechanisation centres located within the province.

She further said the effort aims to increase the total acreage under mechanisation, significantly reducing manual labour burdens and boosting agricultural efficiency.

Ms Mumba pointed out that to ensure a structured implementation, the programme is being rolled out in three distinct phases.

Phase one includes readiness orientation while phase two encompasses anticipatory action, focusing heavily on intensive crop and pest surveillance and phase three is catering for preparedness training.

“To institutionalise this learning and foster long-term adaptation, the project is establishing Climate-Smart Agriculture Farmer Field Schools alongside community demonstration plots,” she stated

The Provincial Principal Public Relations Officer said the sites will serve as practical learning hubs where local farming communities can study and adopt sustainable techniques firsthand.

Ms Mumba added that the sites will also serve as a critical measure to protect and secure local yields.

She further stated that the intervention is to ensure that no grain goes to waste by providing safe, weather-resistant storage for the harvest.

Ms Mumba said through the laid down combined efforts, the government aims to ensure that Muchinga Province remains resilient, food-secure, and highly productive, even in the face of ongoing climate uncertainties.