By Lawrence Kabutu
The United Nations Development Programme is promoting the productive use of electricity in Zambia by investing in small scale electricity to allow small scale farmers to continue operating.
UNDP Deputy Country Resident Representative Laurent RUDASINGWA made the disclosure when he paid a courtesy call on Southern Province Deputy Permanent Secretary Yolanta Malunga in Choma.
Mr. RUDASINGWA said the idea came when the country and the region was facing huge El Nino that caused severe drought conditions in Zambia leading to crop failures, and water shortages for power generation.
He noted that investing in small scale electricity is another flagship programme of the UNDP that is a new era that needs to be scaled up at a new level.
Mr. RUDASINGWA started that another initiative is the Youth led programme focusing on employment of the young generation.
He observed that the Youth led programme will be a big project for UNDP that will be supported through its various projects throughout the country.
Mr. RUDASINGWA pointed out that his major objective in Southern Province during the monitoring tour was to see the activities of the Strengthening Climate Resilience of Agricultural Livelihoods in Agro-Ecological Regions I and II in Zambia (SCLARA Project).
He pointed out that the SCRALA Project funded by the Green Climate Fund is one of the major investment supported project by the UNDP, World Food Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization joint cooperation, and implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture that started 7 years ago.
And Southern Province Deputy Permanent Secretary Yolanta MALUNGA says the SCRALA project has benefited a lot of small scale farmers in the province through various alternative agricultural Value chains.
Mrs. MALUNGA said farmers have benefited in alternative livelihood activities such as goat rearing, chicken rearing, and best agricultural practices such as Conservation Agriculture.
She further appealed for the extension of the SCRALA as it is uplifting the living standards of the rural communities who are the most disadvantaged such as the people are differently abled, the youths, and the aged among others.
‘’ I am aware that the SCRALA project is supporting the farmers who are differently abled such as the blind and the lame, I was happy to see that even that couple that was blind received assistance of goats from the project,’’ she said.
Meanwhile Southern Province Agricultural Coordinator Alfred SIANJASE says the SCRALA project has also supported agriculture irrigation in Chirundu and Gwembe districts.
Mr. SIANJASE named the Chirunda Irrigation Scheme in Chirundu as the Tauya Irrigation Scheme that has received a good short in improving the livelihoods of the farmers and Gwembe district were industrial boreholes have been drilled for irrigation purposes.
ENDS/LK/NAIS.
