By CHINTU MALAMBO
OVER 59,000 farmers in Zambia’s Northern, Luapula, and Muchinga provinces have been trained in smallholder irrigation under the Community-Based Smallholder Irrigation (COBSI) project, a joint initiative between the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Zambian government.
Speaking at the signing ceremony for the project’s next phase, JICA Zambia Chief Representative, Jotaro Tateyama highlighted the impact of the initiative, noting that it has led to a 70% increase in household income among beneficiaries. More than 4,800 hectares of new farmland have been irrigated since the project’s inception, providing small-scale farmers with a sustainable solution to climate-related challenges such as drought.
“The demand for irrigation has been growing, especially in light of the recent drought, which has threatened national food security, JICA is proud to support Zambia’s irrigation initiative and deepen this partnership,” Mr Tateyama said.
Mr Tateyama said in recognition of the project’s success, Zambia will host irrigation officers from other countries next year to learn from its approach.
He expressed confidence that Zambia could emerge as a regional leader in community-driven irrigation development.
And Ministry of Agriculture Permanent Secretary for Technical Services John Mulongoti says smallholder farmers have benefited greatly in terms of knowledge and technical support acquired on irrigations under the M-COBS programme and have drawn a livelihood from the same.
Mr Mulongoti says Zambia will be used as a launch bud under phase two of the M-COBSI for extending small holder irrigation in the region.
The COBSI project aligns with Zambia’s 8th National Development Plan and the Comprehensive Agriculture Transformation Support Programme (CATSP), reinforcing the government’s broader strategy to enhance food security and rural development. –NAIS
