Presenter: Henry N. Ngimbu Institution: Organization of Rural Associations for Progress (ORAP) Workshop, Bulawayo Subject Country: Zambia

1. THE SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION (SRI) INITIATIVE IN ZAMBIA, SOUTHERN AFRICA ORAP (ORGANISATION OF RURAL ASSOCIATIONS FOR PROGRESS) WORKSHOP BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE JUNE 11-12, 2007 Henry Ngimbu ZAMBIA

3. INTRODUCTION OF SRI IN ZAMBIA SRI ACTIVITIES Solwezi District, North-western Province ZAMBIA DR CONCO

5. THE FOOD SECURITY SITUATION IN ZAMBIA We have seen years of relief food donated by various international bodies in order to rescue local people from hunger. In Zambia, extreme poverty is manifested in widespread food insecurity. The Government Living Conditions Monitoring Survey (LCMS 2004) suggests that 53% of the people cannot meet basic food needs in any year.

6. A number of factors have contributed to continuous food shortages in Zambia. The list includes poverty resulting from recurrent floods and droughts, lack of infrastructure and deficient investments in agriculture, little or no attention paid to smallholder agriculture, policies that favour urban businesses over farmers, policies that distort and interfere with markets, etc. The chronically food insecure have grown over time as shocks such as floods or drought cause formerly food secure households to sell the assets needed for future productivity. MAIN CAUSES OF FOOD INSECURITY IN ZAMBIA

7. VISION The concern has been to search for the best methodologies to adopt so that we can offset the miseries resulting from hunger, which is afflicting millions of lives in Zambia. Food aid is good but for how long and is it enough for every household. Can the households have extra for sale in order to meet other family needs?

14. FARMING ACTIVITIES

16. Harvest and Results The first SRI demonstration plot, planted in December 2005, was harvested in June 2006, and it produced equivalent of 6.144 t/ha yield of dried paddy. This was achieved in a region where local rice yields are usually around only 1 t/ha. This result was very encouraging for the local farmers.