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Building Climate Resilience: How Community-Led Projects are Changing Lives in Zambia

CARE Zambia with support from the Czech Development Agency implemented the Building Livelihood Resilience to Climate Change (BLRCC) Project in Kalomo district

of Southern Province. The project was aimed at addressing climate challenges and increasing smallholder farmer’s resilience to climate shocks.

BLRCC started in 2020 and ended in 2023 empowered communities to adapt to climate change while improving food security and household incomes.

At the heart of this transformation was the Farmer Field and Business School (FFBS) model, which integrated climate-smart agriculture with business. The model enabled over 3,750 vulnerable households to improve their livelihoods, diversify income sources, and adopt sustainable farming practices.

One of the key successes of the project has been the promotion of drought-resistant crops and improved farming techniques. Regina Mutetwa, a lead farmer from Kalomo’s Simakakata Agricultural Camp, is a testament to this change. After experiencing failed harvests due to drought, she turned to sweet potatoes a resilient crop that provides both nutritional and economic benefits.

"With Chibwali (sweet potatoes), I can feed my children, sell the surplus, and even use the leaves as relish," Regina explains. By adopting heaping techniques, she maximized yields while preventing waterlogging and nutrient loss during heavy rains.

The project also established over 859 home gardens, allowing families to produce vegetables within months. A post-project monitoring visit revealed that some households had increased their income by $50 per harvest, improving their ability to withstand climate shocks.

Climate change in Zambia has led to deforestation and land degradation, reducing soil fertility and worsening drought conditions. To counteract this, BLRCC promoted the establishment of 11 communal tree nurseries and six farmer-managed multipurpose tree plantations. These nurseries continue to thrive even after the project’s conclusion, with fast-growing tree species like Gmelina, Leucocephala, and Casuarina equisetifolia helping restore degraded land.

In addition, community-led by-laws now restrict harmful practices such as bush burning, protecting communal grazing lands. This has significantly contributed to ecosystem restoration, particularly in Dimbwe.

Beyond farming, financial resilience has been a critical factor in strengthening communities against climate shocks. Through the project, 12 Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) were established, helping farmers save and access funds without relying on external lenders.

Mary Muleya, a farmer and mother of seven from Kalomo’s Nazilongo village, joined a VSLA with just K20 the cost of a single share. Over time, her savings allowed her to purchase goats, a mattress, and even invest in Zambia’s Farmer Input Support Program (FISP). But the biggest transformation came when she started her own business, selling samosas.

"I never imagined that something as small as saving K20 could change my life," Mary shares. Today, she earns between K1,500 and K3,000 per month from her business, making her financially independent. During the recent drought, while many farmers struggled, Mary sold goats and used her savings to sustain her family.

The project’s impact extends beyond financial gains. Gender training sessions within the VSLA framework empowered women to participate in household and community decision-making. While some men initially resisted this shift, many have come to recognize the benefits of shared economic responsibility.

Mary’s story is one of many demonstrating how women’s empowerment strengthens entire communities. “Women’s empowerment isn’t about undermining men, it’s about lifting families and communities,” she asserts.

Although the BLRCC project officially ended in 2023, its legacy continues. The cooperatives formed under the FFBS model remain active, seeking funding opportunities to sustain their initiatives. VSLAs are expanding, home gardens continue to thrive, and communities are embracing climate-smart practices.

CARE Zambia has continued to promote agricultural productivity and profitability by empowering women to more fully engage in equitable agriculture systems using the Farmer Field and Business School (FFBS) model; an integrated gender- transformative, market-based and nutrition sensitive extension approach.

 


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