Germany Donates $10m to Support Smallholder Farmers

Germany has donated US$10 million to support smallholder farmers in Zambia who have been affected by climate change. 

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has said it welcomes the contribution from Germany, which it estimates will support over 104,000 farmers affected by drought. 

Germany’s ambassador to Zambia, Achim Burkart, said that addressing the multiple crises of conflict, climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic required united efforts. 

He said he was hopeful that Germany’s funding would support the WFP, the Zambian government and its partners in fostering more resilient communities. 

WFP country representative Jennifer Bitonde said the donation comes at a time of increasing desperation: 2.3million people in Zambia were affected by drought last year alone and many are now trying to rebuild their lives amidst a global pandemic. 

The funding will be used to promote the use of conservation agricultural practices that increase yields and scale up the use of drought-tolerant crops such as cowpeas and groundnuts. 

The donation will also support the nutrition of 33,000 school children by providing locally produced fresh food from smallholder farmers.