USAID spends over 9 million Kwacha on food security programmes in Zambia.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has spent over 9 million United States Dollars to improve food security in the country.

USAID Deputy assistant administrator Ann Vaughan says through the USAID Africa Trade and Investment, USAID Zambia is working hand-in-hand with the regional African Fertilizer Agribusiness Partnership to propel the country’s agricultural markets and drive economic transformation.

ZANIS reports that Ms Vaughan said this when she led a team from the USAID who were touring fields in Mpongwe District on the Copperbelt to see how farmers are benefiting from the Food Security Programme.

She noted that the USAID government is determined to improve for food security in Zambia and over 1.5 million Zambian participated in the food security programme.

Ms Vaughan added that USAID Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative is working in collaboration with other partners in conducting various activities such as improved crop variety demonstrations.

She said that the main purpose of a demonstration farm is that farmers and scientists can see the difference in productivity between different seed varieties and agricultural practices when they are growing side-by-side.

“USAID has a longstanding and continuing commitment to enhance local research and the capacity of local market systems for key staple crops,” she said.

Ms Vaughan said the team was also checking on agro business partners who are helping to sell fertilizer to farmers at a fair price.

She added that the accelerate last-mile delivery project, is a program running in three countries which include Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, and about 50 million USD has been spent on the project.

And, African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP) Country Manger Gene Phiri said the partnership with the USAID involves maintaining a register of the farmers who purchased fertilizer through the rebate programme.

Mr Phiri said the programme will enable Zambian small and medium-sized agro-dealers to deliver the fertilizer at a fair price to farmers

Mr Phiri said previously the farmers used to buy the bag of fertilizer at a cost of 970 Kwacha but with the on-going project farmers can now buy a bag of fertilizer at 800 Kwacha.

Meabwhile, Fostina Chumbo one of the beneficiaries of the USAID project said she is happy that through the demonstrations she will be able to harvest good crops.

Ms Chumbo added that she planted early and the seedlings she used proved to be resistant drought.

This article originally appeared on Lusaka Times