Germany has contributed US$10 million to support smallholder farmers affected by climate change in Zambia
And the United Nations World Food Programme said it welcomes a donation from Germany to assist over 104,000 smallholder farmers impacted by drought.
Mr Achim Burkart, Germany’s Ambassador to Zambia says addressing multiple vulnerabilities driven by conflict, climate change and the current COVID-19 health crisis requires joined efforts.
Mr Burkat expressed hope that this funding can support WFP, the Government and its partners in building more resilient communities.
He said the funding, from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the German Development Bank KfW, will allow WFP to help smallholder farmers to recover from drought and enhance their ability to withstand future climate shocks.
And WFP Country Representative Jennifer Bitonde said this generous contribution comes at a time of increasing needs.
She said last year alone, 2.3 million people were affected by drought, and they are now trying to rebuild their livelihoods amidst the COVID-19 crisis.
Ms Bitonde said the funding will be used to promote the use of conservation agriculture practices that increase yields, enhance access to post-harvest management technologies to reduce food losses and scale up the use of drought-tolerant crops such as cowpeas and groundnuts.
She said the contribution will also support the nutrition of 33,000 school children’s through the provision of locally produced fresh food from smallholder farmers.
Germany is an important donor to WFP in Zambia. Following a US$320,000 contribution to WFP’s drought response in 2019, the German Federal Foreign Office contributed US$2.1 million in support of refugees residing in the country earlier this year.
The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies, building prosperity and supporting a sustainable future for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
