Rural farmers coping with climate change

Iness Jere 76, of Chipata’s Mgabi Village paramount chief Mpezeni’s area preparing maize seed.

DOREEN NAWA,
SHE grew up knowing that the rains start on October 24, the day Zambia got independence from colonial rule, or a week later.
But surprisingly for 76-year-old Iness Jere of Chipata’s Mgabi village in Paramount Chief Mpezeni’s area, the weather patterns have changed. The rains now start in December.
“I remember growing up knowing that the rains start in the last week of October, but now it is different, the rains are coming in December. This makes it difficult for us to plant maize [seed] because it is the crop that needs a considerable amount of water to survive. I have decided to diversify and I now grow a variety of crops,” Ms Jere says.
The septuagenarian has opted to grow other crops after realising that she is getting poor yields from maize, the development that is negatively affecting her household food security.
Another challenge Ms Jere is facing is the rising temperatures. “We have a problem of high temperatures here, which makes our plants to wither before reaching maturity stage.”
Rising temperatures and changes in weather patterns are significantly shaping the face of Zambia’s agriculture and that of other countries in the world.
Farmers in Chief Mpezeni’s area are already grappling with the problem of adapting to rising temperatures and erratic rains.
For Zambia, like many other countries where economies depend on agriculture as the chief sector, climate change is emerging as one of the major threats to sustainable development.
These changes in weather patterns, coupled with the country’s fast-growing population, are presenting a question on the ability of agriculture to continue meeting Zambia’s food needs.
To mitigate these changes, Ms Jere’s family and communities across the Mpezeni chiefdom have started transforming farming practices to enhance food security.
The villagers learnt about the good practices from the Department for International Development (DFID)-funded project that was being run by Care International Zambia, a non-governmental organisation.
“I now plant crops that will need less water like pigeon peas, groundnuts and cassava. I am slowly graduating from planting maize because it seems to have challenges and always gives me a lower yield. I am now planting crops that do not need fertiliser,” Ms Jere says.
This is where ‘climate smart agriculture’ comes in. Climate smart agriculture is a term that has been coined to position agriculture as being vital in mitigating and adapting to climate change.
Climate smart agriculture includes practices and technologies that sustainably increase productivity, support farmers’ adaptation to climate change and reduce levels of greenhouse gas emission.
It can also help governments to achieve national food security and poverty reduction goals.
Climate smart approaches include diverse components, from farm-level techniques to international policy and finance mechanisms.
Kebby Banda, another resident of Mgabi village, has changed the tillage pattern in his field.
Mr Banda attended a community meeting organised by Care International Zambia, where he was taught the importance of practising climate smart agriculture.
“Before I had any knowledge of climate smart agriculture, I used to practise weird kind of techniques like early burning, perfect tillage and field clearing. But now, I am practising these techniques and my yields have improved,” Mr Banda says.
Zero tillage and laser land levelling in farms also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Experts say efforts to reduce food insecurity must include building the resilience of rural communities to shocks and strengthening their adaptive capacity to cope with increased variability and growing climate change-friendly crops.
Regionally, several interventions such as policy change and community sensitisation have been put in place. In the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) regions, climate change effects include increased frequency of extreme weather events such as flooding, storms and droughts.
The change in weather patterns has significant social, economic and political impacts, including effects on food production.
Water availability is becoming an issue and is posing serious threats to the SADC region’s food production systems and its progress towards poverty reduction.
The nature and extent of climate change not only hinder human development and environmental conservation, but also form a major threat to human security at regional and national levels.
Smallholder farmers, the largest population group in the region, have not been spared.
According to the latest African Agriculture Status Report, farmers on the continent are already struggling to adapt to rising temperatures and erratic rainfall.
Temperatures in sub-Saharan Africa are expected to rise between 1.5 degrees Celsius and 2.5 degrees Celsius by 2050, posing an increased risk of both drought and flooding.
As climate change turns up the heat, Africa’s food security and its ability to generate economic growth that benefits poor people, most of whom are farmers, depends on their ability to adapt to more stressful conditions.
The report observes that smallholder farmers urgently need money to invest in climate smart agriculture, knowing that they (smallholder farmers) are the mainstay of food production across Africa.
“When farmers are able to employ climate smart techniques, it makes a huge difference. Helping smallholders adapt to climate challenges today will prepare them for even more serious future challenges and how to be food secure.
“Climate smart agriculture must be the vehicle for sustained economic and social prosperity and for ensuring that countries in Africa reach the goal of being high middle-income countries,” the report reads in part.
This change in weather patterns necessitates the need for more investment in agricultural approaches that are adaptable to climate change, and sustainable in the long term. PUBLISHED ON JANUARY 19, 2015 IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL.

Zambia, South Africa yet to resolve yellow fever impasse

Travelers at Intercity buying ticket

DOREEN NAWA, Lusaka
ZAMBIA’S drive to banish yellow fever from its territory is now a reality and the country has been declared yellow fever free.
When Zambia started the yellow fever immunisation decades ago, little did people know that the ambition would yield positive results and see Zambia declared a yellow fever free zone.
Nobody enjoys injections and so it seemed particularly wonderful to get all travel documents ready and get off to either the airport or any place of departure.
Now that World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared Zambia as yellow fever free zone, the move is welcome news to many who feel it will ease the hustle that those leaving and entering Zambia had to face.
And with the current economic difficulties, the immunisation programme experienced several setbacks, including the illegal access of certification, as most would-be travellers preferred to go for unauthorised dealers.
Despite the declaration, scores of Zambians traveling mostly to South Africa are still purchasing the fake yellow fever certificates instead of administering the yellow fever vaccine, exposing the country to the deadly yellow fever epidemic.
Despite the WHO declaration, South African authorities still require that all visitors must be vaccinated against yellow fever and be able to produce a valid yellow fever certificate together with their passport at all points of entry and exit.
The yellow fever vaccine prevents the international spread of the disease by protecting countries from the risk of importing or spreading the yellow fever virus. It also protects individual travelers, who may be exposed to yellow fever infection.
“We have recently been made aware that Zambia has been declared free of yellow fever by WHO. It seems that the authorities in South Africa are still enforcing the requirement that any person visiting from Zambia needs to obtain a yellow fever vaccination and certificate. It seems, however, that the two countries are in discussion following the announcement from WHO, and we need this resolved urgently because it is an inconvenience,” a Lusaka-based cross border trader Janet Bwalya said.
Yellow fever is a tropical viral disease affecting the liver and kidneys. It causes fever and jaundice and is often fatal. It is transmitted by mosquitoes and is incurable.
A check at the Lusaka Bus Intercity Station found vendors openly selling yellow fever vaccination certificates to Zambians who were buying tickets to travel to South Africa for recess.
The travellers, who were interviewed, said the yellow fever vaccine cost was high at the Lusaka District Health office and they had no choice but to purchase the fake certificate for K250.
Mr Chama Mwila, who was en route to Durban to collect a car shipped from Japan, said he chose to buy the fake yellow fever certificate instead of getting vaccinated so that he could cut his expenses.
“The yellow fever vaccine is unaffordable and the idea of an injection is not welcome. I hear WHO has declared Zambia yellow fever free but South Africa has not recognised that.
 “Bus fare to Johannesburg costs K500, which adds to K800 if you get your yellow fever certificate from the authorised point but if you get from intercity, it will cost you K750 and you tend to save a K50, which one can [use to] buy food on the way. If you factor in the proper vaccine, the travelling costs can easily sky rocket,” he said.
A source at the Lusaka Urban District Health Management Team says the declaration is a welcome move as it will stop people from being duped by fraudsters claiming to be issuing certificates.
The source, who sought anonymity, said yellow fever was a lethal viral infection transmitted by mosquitoes and those that purchase yellow fever certificates fraudulently put their lives and the country at risk.
“If you purchase the yellow fever certificate through fraudulent means, you are endangering your health because in reality, your body system is not protected from the infection. Furthermore, once an infected person returns to the country with the infection, the whole country is susceptible to infection because once a mosquito bites an infected person and moves to another person, it will transmit the virus,” the source said.
The source further said if anyone were to be infected with yellow fever, the effects would be fatal for the whole country as we still have mosquitoes that have a potential of transferring the infection throughout the country.
“Yellow fever is incurable and now that we have been declared free zone, it is even better because before then, it was important that those going out should be inoculated, to protect the country against the potential scourge of yellow fever no matter how much the infection risks are said to be low,” she said.
Yellow fever is a disease caused by a flavivirus that is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. It gets its name from the yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice) that occurs when the virus attacks the liver. Yellow fever can be prevented by a vaccine.
In November 2013, Zambia reported South Africa to WHO for demanding yellow fever certificates from travellers.
Samples from various parts of Zambia were taken to WHO and recently, Zambia was declared a yellow fever free zone.

Bringing AIDS treatment closer to people

FROM afar, it is difficult to understand his excitement during the launch of a new Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) Centre at Mwembeshi Clinic. However, it takes a brief chat to reveal the reason behind Josphat Siachitema’s joy.
He danced to the amusement of other people who had gathered for the event he could only describe as a blessing.
“The opening of this clinic is a blessing, I used to cover over 60 kilometres to Lusaka’s Kanyama clinic every three months to get my drugs and access any other ART services,” Mr Siachitema says.
But now that the clinic has been opened, Mr Siachitema, 45, feels relieved and empowered.
“I disclosed my status the first day I found out I was HIV-positive. But this decision came with a lot of stigma even from my friends. I couldn’t bear the thought of lying but the disclosure is a challenge sometimes,” Mr Siachitema says.
Mr Siachitema, of Mwembeshi area, says disclosing his status was his choice, and it helped him a lot in getting support from family and friends.
As if that was not enough, accessing ART service was also proving to be a challenge for him. Mr Siachitema, who tested positive to HIV 15 years ago, says accessing ART services was costly for him because of the distance he was covering.
“I get my refill from Kanyama clinic. The coming of this infrastructure here at Mwembeshi is a dream come true. It will help us access drugs [easily],” he said.
Funded by the Association for Aid and Relief (AAR) of Japan, the Mwembeshi ART Centre was built at US$760,000.
AAR Japan is a non-governmental organisation whose objective is to extend emergency and long-term support to people in need of help.
Before the ART Centre was opened at a clinic, many people were scepitcal about knowing their HIV status and also shunned ART services.
Like many in his area, Mr Siachitema is fully aware that he will benefit greatly from the new ART clinic.
“At first people were really negative in my community, calling me names, friends laughing at me when I go to the clinic, and making fun of me. They would just come to the clinic to see which room I will enter and ask if I am going to die. But with such a facility at the clinic, people will be educated about HIV and AIDS,” Mr Siachitema says.
Officiating at the handover of the ART clinic was Lusaka Province permanent secretary Wamunyina Muwana, who expressed concern that people were shunning ART due to lack of proper health facilities.
Mr Muwana said most people want to access ART services with a sense of confidentiality.
“The challenge is not that there aren’t enough facilities to provide ART services. The challenge is that as Government we need to ensure more infrastructure is put in place to cater for people needing these [services],” Mr Muwana said.
And Japanese ambassador to Zambia Kiyoshi Koinuma said the Mwembeshi Centre was built to ease the challenges that people face in accessing ART.
“Failure to access ART services has adverse effects on individuals and communities. I appeal to residents to jealously guard the infrastructure for them to derive maximum benefits from it,” Mr Koinuma said.
And Chilanga medical office ART coordinator Godfrey Zulu said Mwembeshi Health Centre provides services to over 12,000 people. He said 2,500 clients are on ART.
Mr Zulu says the involvement of various partners in empowering people living with HIV is vital if the disease burden was to be eased.
“The facility will ease people’s access to ART in Mwembeshi. Lots of things still need to be done, but engagement of the partners is powerful. They too can drive issues on reducing the disease burden forward. Like building infrastructure and in the issue of education and advocacy,” Mr Zulu said.
In Zambia, current HIV prevalence is 14.3 percent among adults aged 15-49.
The epidemic is gender-based with 16 percent of women aged 15-49 HIV positive compared to 12 percent of men aged 15-49 HIV positive.
Efforts to scale up access to ART have led to an increase in the number of HIV positive-eligible clients accessing Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) from approximately 3000 in 2004 to 285,000 in 2009 and double the number in 2009 for 2013.
Currently, it is estimated that there are over one million Zambians living with HIV and AIDS. The impact continues to infiltrate rural populations. And while access to treatment has improved, it is still estimated that over 75,000 Zambians die from HIV annually.
Greater efforts in prevention and treatment are paramount if Zambia is to reduce the incidences of HIV in the coming years.
Published on December 21, 2014 in the Zambia Daily Mail.