The Director of ZRDF – Brandy Mungaila has given us an update on the Upcoming Busa Demo site which is in its early stages in a 4 acre area in the East of the region under the care of ZRDF. BZT is providing funding for this vital project that will make a big difference to the lives of many people. 

 

2 hectares of this land is now planted with the eventual potential of around 400 farmers benefitting from this on-site training school – an initiative managed by ZRDF/BZT and supported by around 15 Stakeholders which include seed companies, agro chemical companies and Government departments under the Ministry of Agriculture. We are currently seeking extra funding to fully utilise the site and increase its impact on the area.

 

The Demo site is one of the objectives highlighted in the 2017-19 programme which will result in improved crop yields for households and a better quality of nutrition. 

80 Farmers are also now breeding goats and new crop types are being introduced such as sunflowers and cow peas. The demo site is an essential way of continuing growth in the farming sector through education and support, giving farmers every possible chance to support their families with successful yields.

 

The 2019 demo site will include; Maize (25 varieties planted), soya beans (4 varieties), okra, beans, cowpeas, butter nuts, orange maize, water melons, sorghum, ground nuts and sunflower.

 

However the Busa site is not without challenges – an outbreak of armyworms are causing damage to the early crop, though these issues too form part of the training for the farmers who learn about control of such pests.

 

Other already successful types of production in the region are banana plantations and bee boxes – all part of the hollistic way in which ZRDF funded largely by  Baynards Zambia Trust in the UK make a difference to peoples lives in rural Zambia. Along with education, health clinics and the implementation of village banks run by local women, 

 

We look forward to updating you on the progress of the Busa site as it develops.