Food Security In Zambia

Zambian families face a harsh reality. High rates of poverty, drought and climate change, and lack of food security—even in rural agricultural areas—often cripple families and rob them of their future. Just a few short years ago, the Nyirendas were counted among Zambia’s millions of hungry and under-nourished.

But today, hope has taken root. As they begin each day at sunrise, Loyce and Sandress look out on their thriving fields of maize, soybeans, and rapeseed. It is here where they can visibly see the difference agriculture training has made. Crop rotations, ripping, and “pot-holing” sound mundane, but these techniques have resulted in healthier, more productive crops. Because of improved agriculture, the Nyirendas have achieved food security. Their children are no longer hungry. They can pay school fees without going into debt. And they do not have to resort to desperate measures, such as selling off animals, just to provide for the most basic necessities.

“Our lives are very different from even three years ago; we no longer have to stress for school fees or even to sell animals. Our fields are more productive and we all go to sleep every night with food in our stomachs. We are richly blessed.” -Sandress Nyirenda

And with each successful crop, the hope continues to grow, not just for today but also for tomorrow. The crops are feeding the family daily, with the surplus being sold at market for a profit. They can purchase seeds, fertilizer, even animals—the Nyirendas now own a bull and two pigs—all the things needed for the next growing season. Through their training and hard work, the Nyirendas are no longer simply subsistence farmers, instead they are entrepreneurs. Even the younger children at home, James (13), Edith (12), and Rose (6) pitch in on the farm and help with watering the crops. When asked what they love about farming, the Nyirendas respond with pride that the farm is their family “business.”

When hope grows for one family, hope grows for thousands of other Zambian families too.

Written by Ru Waddell, World Renew Zambia Field Staff