FtMA Partners with the Public Sector in Zambia to Increase Farmer Adoption of Good Agricultural Practices.
This season in Zambia, FtMA has partnered with Zambian-German Agricultural Knowledge and Training Centre (AKTC) to increase Farmer Service Centres (FSCs) and farmer knowledge on a variety of good agricultural practices, and to date, over 12 FSCs who support 2,500 farmers are already trained and disseminating the latest knowledge. The partnership seeks to train over 40 FSCs (25 of which are women) who in turn will train up to 10,000 farmers.
When farmers are empowered through gaining knowledge the impact at farm and community levels are many. From the training the farmers will:
- Enter into horticulture production and diversify their value chains
- See an increase in income from engaging in higher value crops (FtMA Supported farmers on average see incomes rise by 5% annually!)
- Modernize their farming practices which will reduce costs and increase their productivity
Training topics covered by AKTC include:
- Irrigation systems
- Soil health and soil management
- Horticulture production
- Incorporating basic GPS use in their farming practices
In addition to the training activities, over 20 Youth attendees were selected for AKTC’s highly sought after Tractor Driving School where participants undergo comprehensive training in tractor operation, safety, and maintenance, which creates a path towards obtaining valuable operational licenses.
