Zambia’s Drought
In early 2024, Zambia experienced one of the worst droughts in its modern history, affecting an estimated 9.8 million people. The drought in Zambia has left deep scars across the country, with many communities still recovering. ‘Whenever I travel and visit, the people are still talking about the effects of the drought,’ said Tiruneh.
As an Agriculture Officer deployed to UNHCR Zambia, Tiruneh works closely with refugee and host community farmers to recover from the drought and build their resilience to future disasters. Refugee settlement communities, in particular, have been the most vulnerable to the effects of disaster and climate change, as these communities are living in remote areas with bad infrastructure services and are restricted from working outside of these settlements. ‘90-95% of refugee livelihoods depend on agriculture. So, their way out for now, is agriculture,’ said Tiruneh.
‘Whenever I travel and visit, the people are still talking about the effects of the drought.'
The Realities of Refugee Farmers
Beyond the effects of prevailing climate-related disasters, refugee farming communities face immense challenges. Given their dependence on agriculture and subsistence farming, Tiruneh’s deployment has focused strongly on understanding the root causes, particularly in the Zambian settlement communities of Meheba, Mantapala, and Mayukwayukwa.
Through field visits and extensive community engagement (such as interviews, focus group discussions and surveys), Tiruneh and his colleagues observed a range of common challenges across these communities, despite the government’s efforts to provide support. ‘The generosity of the Government of Zambia was good, they allocated land to refugees,’ said Tiruneh. ‘But they’re still faced with big challenges.’
The most common challenges reported across all 3 communities include limitations in road and market access, the high cost of inputs (like seeds and fertiliser), a lack of access to farming extension support services, and limited access to finance. Tiruneh’s deployment has focused on engaging with a range of private sector partners to enter mutually beneficial partnerships with the settlement farming communities, while also exploring climate-resilient solutions.
The Zambian Massage
One of the most critical challenges faced by the settlement community farmers is their ability to access markets. With a very limited road network, many farmers are forced to travel up to 90 kilometres away by bicycle or motorbike to sell their produce. In Zambia, this is known as the ‘Zambian Massage’.
‘When I went to the settlements, before we depart from the city, they say “Welcome to the Zambian Massage,” said Tiruneh. ‘If it’s a challenge for drivers in a vehicle, you can guess how challenging it is for the refugees living in those settlements.’
Accessing the market supports farmer livelihoods and ensures that they’re getting a fair price for their produce. ‘One kilogram of raw honey, they’re selling it for 14 Zambian Kwacha (ZMW), or around $1 AUD,’ said Tiruneh. ‘In the cities, you buy 200 grams with maybe ZMW 80 ($5.05 AUD) here in Zambia.’
Currently, international cooperating partners are working with the Government of Zambia to improve the road networks and access to markets. Tiruneh believes that these initiatives will support the settlement community’s ability to recover from droughts and cope with any disasters in the future.
‘If it’s a challenge for drivers in a vehicle, you can guess how challenging it is for the refugees living in those settlements.’
Partnering with the Private Sector
A key partner that can help address the challenges faced by settlement farmers is the private sector in Zambia. For Tiruneh, working closely with the private sector in Zambia could be a “win-win” situation. His work includes conducting multiple levels of due diligence on potential private sector partners, which can lead to an agreement between a company and the farming cooperative. Through these cooperative agreements, settlement farmers can access seeds, credit and guaranteed markets, while providing nutritious produce to the private sector partner.
For Tiruneh, the potential is immense: ‘In Meheba, there are copper and gold mines. These are big mines, and there are thousands and thousands of people working there – so they need food,’ said Tiruneh. ‘So, linking the catering services with the farmers for example will address major challenges for the farmers and at the same time, benefitting the private sector.’
Agricultural Diversification
In addition to this, there are efforts to strengthen the capability of farmers through training and agricultural diversification. Tiruneh and the UNHCR team together with other partners have worked with the farmers to introduce drought-resistant crops, like cassava and cowpea, to learn from the lessons of the drought. They also encouraged crop rotation, as they noted that the soil health and fertility was degrading. ‘If they farm legumes and pulses this year on that specific land, they can farm cereals crop, maize… next year so that the nitrogen fixation process will maintain the soil fertility and health,’ stated Tiruneh.
As part of this, Tiruneh has also identified opportunities to link evidence and data with agricultural practices through his regular field visits. ‘During the dry season, they farmed tomatoes and leafy vegetables. I’ve seen on the ground that the tomatoes are not doing very well,’ noted Tiruneh. ‘I took note, communicated with the Ministry of Agriculture, and they shared these assessments.’
The assessments that the Ministry shared with Tiruneh were conducted back in 2020 and identified the types of crops to farm, based on the season, geography and soil type. Despite the assessment findings, the farming communities had no knowledge of this, nor was there any work to make this information publicly available. ‘It’s good information for them. So, instead of farming tomatoes, they can go for soya beans and during the dry season, soya beans are doing very well,’ shared Tiruneh.
Climate Resilient Future
While Zambia’s farming communities continue to face immense challenges, Tiruneh remains optimistic in the path forward towards private sector engagement and climate-smart practices. ‘Sometimes you see farmers fail, sometimes you see them succeed,’ noted Tiruneh. ‘But because the potential for private sector engagement is extensive, the success rate will be good and sustainable, if it is exploited more and more. That’s the excitement I have now.’
Disclaimer: The information and views published here are the individual’s own and do not necessarily represent the partner organisation, Australia Assists or the Australian Government’s views, positions or opinions.