our work


in zambia

Large, sparsely populated and politically stable, Zambia has vast agricultural potential. 

Self Help Africa’s programme focus in Zambia is on three key areas: rural enterprise development, nutrition security, and sustainable agricultural and rural livelihoods. Our largest project is a five-year European Union funded ENTERPRISE Zambia  project that commenced in early  2020. 

These projects address a selection of integrated issues: sustainable agriculture, food and nutrition security, research into and production of improved varieties of seed, rural enterprise development and income generation, environmental rehabilitation, and climate change adaptation. 

Full Name: Republic of Zambia 
Population: 17. 19.6 million (Zambia Statistics Agency 2022) 
Population Growth (Yearly): 3.01% 
Capital: Lusaka 
Area: 752,618 SQ KM 
Major Languages: English (Official), Bemba, Tonga, Nyanja, Lozi, Lunda, Kaonde, Luvale 
Major Religions: Christianity



PRESERVE Kafue


Moze, Namwala and Mazabuka districts 

Objective: To improve the resilience, food, income and nutrition security of 7,400 households in the Monze, Namwala and Mazabuka districts of Zambia. 

Protecting and Restoring the Environment and Supporting the Emergence of a Resilient and Vibrant Economy in Kafue (PRESERVE) began as a three-year project (March 2019- February 2022) to improve the resilience, food, income and nutrition security of 3,000 households in the Monze, Namwala and Mazabuka districts of Zambia. It is now expanding into a second phase through the new funding cycle of Irish Aid, from 2023-2027. 
The project uses the Functional Landscape Approach (FLA) to promote the sustainable use of natural resources for diversified livelihoods and increased incomes, whilst protecting and restoring essential eco-systems within the Kafue Sub-Basin. 
The second phase of PRESERVE Kafue project will support an additional 4,500 farming households with the adoption of a range of climate-smart agricultural practices in horticultural production, promote land and water conservation, tree planting and other environmental activities, alongside on-farm activities. 

Number of households: 4,500 smallholder farmers 



Economic, Nutrition and Technical support for increased Economic Returns and PRofit In SustainablE agribusiness in Zambia: ENTERPRISE Zambia.


Northern, Eastern, Southern, Western, Central Luapula, cop-per belt regions

Objective: To enhance evidence-based management decision making on Nutrition Sensitive programming through the development and implementation of project friendly metrics and technologies evidence-based management decisions on Nutrition Sensitive programming. 

This project will directly target smallholder farmers especially women as they are at the nexus of agriculture, nutrition, and health by virtue of being; small-scale farmers themselves, caretakers of children and, decision-makers with reference to household daily food production and consumption. 

Number of households: 61,000 

 



Project-Friendly Metrics and Technologies for Better Results in Nutrition-Sensitive Projects


Northern, Eastern, Southern, Western, Central Luapula, cop-per belt regions 

Objective: To enhance evidence-based management decision making on Nutrition Sensitive programming through the development and implementation of project friendly metrics and technologies evidence-based management decisions on Nutrition Sensitive programming. 

This project will directly target smallholder farmers especially women as they are at the nexus of agriculture, nutrition, and health by virtue of being; small-scale farmers themselves, caretakers of children and, decision-makers with reference to household daily food production and consumption. 

  • Number of HHs: 61,000 

 



Transformation Landscapes for Resilience and Development: Diversifying Livelihoods Component


Mungwi, Nsama, Chilubi, Mbala, and Mpulungu 

Objective: To improve natural resource management in the northern region of Zambia to support sustainable livelihoods, and in the event of an eligible crisis or emergency, to provide immediate and effective response to the eligible crisis or emergency 

The TRALARD project will facilitate the generation of community sub grant proposals to support alternative livelihoods under subcomponent 1. and 2.1 and contribute to the achievement of the TRALARD objectives in 5 districts of the Northern Province (Mungwi, Nsama, Chilubi, Mbala, and Mpulungu), which is to improve natural resource management in selected districts and to support sustainable livelihoods.  

  • 273 Lead Farmers to cascade training to 6825 Follower Farmers 


Integrated Risk Management Zambia Programme


Kalomo and Chinkankata 

Objective: Contribute to building of resilience for the most vulnerable rural populations to food insecurity in the face of climate risks using a community oriented and market-based risk management approaches with focus on strengthening government systems. 

Funded by WFP, SHA is contributing to R4 Phase III in Southern Zambia with a project which aims to provide a holistic package of support to smallholder farmers in Southern Province to build their resilience to climate shocks and contribute to broad-based, sustainable development in Zambia. The project focuses on risk reduction (through improved Conservation Agriculture and Climate Smart Agriculture Techniques and improved post-harvest loss management), prudent risk taking (through financial education, increased market integration and access to finance), risk reserves (through the development of community savings mechanisms) and risk transfer (by promoting access to insurance) reaching a total of 5,000 farming households SHA will coordinate delivery of WFP’s Integrated Risk Management Programme (R4 Phase III) in two districts (Kalomo and Chinkankata). In line with WFP’s R4 programme methodology, SHA will reach a total of 5,000 farming households in the targeted areas with a package of support designed to build resilience through: the adoption of climate smart agriculture, market access and access to financial services.  

  • 5000 households   


Implementation of Farm to Market Alliance (FtMA)


Vubwi, Kasenengwa, Lumezi and Sinda 

Objective: Improved livelihoods and resilience of rural smallholder farmers in Zambia and enhanced agribusiness efficiencies 

The project will employ a holistic market-oriented approach to transform the food system in Southern areas of Zambia by engaging with food production, aggregation, processing, distribution, and consumption to develop resilient livelihoods. The project will be driven by and delivered primarily through Farmer Service Centers (FSCs) - following the established Farmer Service Centre model. The project will follow the principles of inclusive market-driven development, delivering sustainable results by capacitating the FSCs to deliver key program elements to the participating smallholders and SMEs and working with other value chain actors to address development challenges by solving market failures. Using the FSC approach will ensure positive impacts on the food system in the 9 target districts are sustained through inclusive value chains after the end of the project implementation. 



Developing sustainable food systems in drought-affected and food insecure districts of Zambia


Southern Province 

Community-driven development increases communities’ food, nutrition, safe water and income security resulting in increased resilience and reduced vulnerability to environmental, climate and health risks  

The project area already has the lowest rainfall in Zambia (<1,000mm) and is marginal for maize. Rainfall is expected to decline further, droughts will become more frequent, and temperatures will exceed the threshold for maize. The project will assist 4,000 farmers to diversify from maize into more drought tolerant crops and adapt their livelihoods to cope with more frequent droughts.  
The project builds on the Irish Aid/WFP/KfW funded Early Drought Recovery Project (EDRP) which is currently supporting 4,000 drought-affected households. This project plans to augment the current project by focusing on gaps that have been identified, or components that have not been fully addressed. To date 16,609 farmers have been supported with drought tolerant sorghum, cowpeas, groundnuts, cassava). SHA Zambia has long experience of Conservation Agriculture research and extension, with 4,494 CA Lead Farmers trained by the EDRP, who support 51,127 follower farmers  

  • 4,000 households

TO CONTACT US ABOUT OUR WORK IN Zambia:


Self Help Africa
Plot No. 121 | Off Kudu Road | Kabulonga
P.O. Box 37484
Lusaka, Zambia


Tel. +260 979 703051
Email: [email protected]