LocationsSmall-scale farmers in Agro-ecological Regions I and II of Zambia are diversifying their livelihoods to increase their income and survive climate change shocks through goat rearing under the SCRALA project
In Zambia’s Makowa Village, SCRALA Project Helps Farmers Cope with Recurring Droughts
October 22, 2024
Justin Sitali, a smallholder farmer from Kazungula district with his family
Picture by: Mulapwa Mukopole/UNDP Zambia
It has been a decade since substantial rain fell in Kazungula district where drought is a recuring issue, affecting farmers like Justin Sitali, 32, who resides in Makowa, a village nestled in the heart of the district. The absence of rainfall means no crop harvest for Sitali and other farmers in drought-stricken regions.
The once-abundant harvests that sustained families are now a distant memory, leaving many families with the grim reality of food insecurity.
Sitali reminisced about a time he used to grow maize, groundnuts, and cowpeas when rainfall was reliable in previous years.
"Farming is very risky now because of the prolonged droughts and dried-up water sources, we mostly harvest so little, just enough for home consumption with nothing left for sale," said the father of three.
Justin Sitali's village in Kazungula district
Picture by: Mulapwa Mukopole/UNDP Zambia
The 2023/2024 agricultural season is the driest period the country experienced in more than forty years. This has led to significant crop losses, increased livestock deaths, and worsened poverty, affecting over six million people in 84 out of 116 districts of Zambia.
Affected families with low incomes due to lack of income-earning opportunities, struggle to access highly priced nutritious foods for their children, worsening nutritional outcomes, and poor child development in the first 5 years of life in these communities.
Sitali’s story is all too familiar for numerous small-scale farmers throughout rural Zambia, where inconsistent harvests from rain-dependent agriculture threaten food security for farming communities.
In 2018, the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), with grant financing from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and co-financed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), initiated a project called the 'Strengthening Climate Resilience of Agricultural Livelihoods in Agro-Ecological Regions I and II in Zambia' (SCRALA) project. This project aims to assist farmers who are most vulnerable to climate risks to engage in alternative sources of livelihoods. It is a climate resilience-focused initiative that receives technical support from the World Food Programme (WFP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Zambia Meteorological Department (ZMD), and the Water Resource Management Authority (WARMA).
The project aims to promote resilient agricultural livelihoods in Zambia's five provinces, in response to unpredictable rainfall, increasing droughts, and floods. It also encourages diversification practices to enhance food security and income generation, thereby raising income levels for farmers in 16 SCRALA districts.
Based on a vulnerability criterion, the SCRALA project supports a select group of farmers with five goats which they raise and later pass on to another farmer after a year when they have offspring–this is known as the Pass-on-Mechanism.
For Sitali, 2019 marked the beginning of his climate resilience journey when he was selected as a beneficiary under the project. Armed with knowledge gained from the training in goat management, he expanded his goat herd to 15. He eventually passed on five goats to the next beneficiary.
Justin Sitali's pure goats.
Picture by: Mulapwa Mukopole/UNDP Zambia
"After selling some of my goats, I bought a boar goat from Kalomo district, an improved breed, for K2,500 (USD 96)," he said.
For Sitali and his family, the goats proved to be more than just livestock. In times of drought, selling one pure goat could yield up to K3,500 (USD 131.61)—enough to purchase a substantial amount of maize to sustain them for a year.
"Even when faced with drought, I can just sell one goat and buy 10x50kg of maize, which lasts my family for months," Sitali shared, highlighting the financial security and stability the goats provide.
The benefits of goat farming extend beyond financial stability. "Even nutrition has improved for my family," he noted proudly, emphasizing how the goats have enhanced their diet and helped fund his children's school needs.
Justin Sitali's pure goats.
Picture by: Mulapwa Mukopole/UNDP Zambia
To supplement his income further, Justin sells goat manure, a valuable resource for local farmers, at K100 (USD 4) per 50kg.
Through diligent farming practices and support from the SCRALA project, he now owns 28 pure goats and has expanded his agricultural ventures to include 10 cows.
This success has not just improved his livelihood; it has empowered him to provide clothing for his children and contribute to his community's economic growth.
Recently, Sitali installed a solar panel on his house to ensure access to reliable electricity while his plans for the future include further improving his goat structures, enhancing productivity, and continuing to inspire others with his journey of resilience and success.
In the face of the harsh realities of climate change, Sitali's success story echoes across Kazungula district, showcasing the project's dedication to enhancing climate resilience for smallholder farmers. With over 8,000 goat farmers benefiting from the project, more stories of resilience coupled with livelihood empowerment have been witnessed across the 16 districts, showing the importance of climate-resilient projects such as the SCRALA project.