The 2024 Zambian Traditional Seed and Food Festival themed “Building a healthy, resilient food and seed system’ through agroecology, farmers’ seeds systems and inclusive markets” was a hive of activity with stakeholders from various sectors including farmers, government, private sector, civil society and the general public participating in the festival.
It is an annual event hosted by a consortium of civil society organizations working in the Environmental Protection space. It is a platform where smallholder farmers convene for knowledge and information sharing, local seeds display, exchange and sell of a variety of local seed and foods.
Smallholder farmers are major stakeholders in the festival and actively participated in the event despite the poor harvest that the majority of them experienced in the 2023/2024 farming season due to drought.
His Royal Highness Chief Chamuka, the Zambian House of Chiefs Vice Chairperson graced the event with a call on farmers to reduce the use of chemical fertilisers and adopt organic inputs which are more friendly to the environment.
“We had a cordial relationship with nature, the environment was friendly because we used our land sustainably. Our soils were rich and everyone could grow their food such as millet, maize, sorghum, cassava and keep animals naturally with good harvests, chief Chamuka said.
Chief Chamuka appealed to civil society organizations working in the sustainable agriculture space to create demonstration plots in all the chiefdoms and agriculture training institutes to serve as evidence that agroecology is sustainable in food production.
Chilanga District Member of Parliament Sipho Hlazo speaking on behalf of government at the event said the festival provides a platform for farmers to learn from those who have transitioned and those in the process of transitioning to agroecology.
“As the government of the day and indeed as Chilanga District, we support agroecology and crop diversity, the preservation of our heritage and farmers’ aspirations to find equitable and profitable markets for these foods and seed.
Hlazo stressed the need to preserve local seeds and foods adding that through seed exchanges and sharing, farming communities have been able to preserve and honour Zambia’s seed, food and cultural heritage including indigenous knowledge and practices that accompany them.
Meanwhile Terry Chizyuka speaking on behalf of farmers during the farmer dialogue session said agroecology is the best framework for transitioning to a more sustainable food system.
Chizyuka called on government to support the transition to agroecology and the farmer managed seed system which will support smallholder farmers to build capacity to clean and multiply seed as well as link them to markets.
Agroecology or sustainable organic agriculture is a way of farming that is in tandem with nature. It promotes the preservation and resuscitation of ecosystems and regeneration of natural forests. It results in healthy soils, healthy food and ultimately, healthy people and environments.
Read more on agroecology from the link below:
Author: Rabecca Mwila
PELUM Zambia Communications Officer-KHSA Project
