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Visit Report to Zambia: Agriculture Advisers & Specialists Meeting, Climate Change Learning Platform Workshop and Training of Trainers Soil Management and CA Workshop

18th August to 1st September, 2014

John Geraghty, Agriculture Consultant, Hunger Unit

1. Agriculture Advisers’ Meeting

A meeting of IA Agriculture Advisers and Development Specialists was held in Lusaka on 18th August which the author chaired. The meeting sought to address three main questions including which objective(s)1 should Irish Aid prioritise in its support to agriculture?; which interventions benefit different types of smallholders?; and finally, how should Irish Aid address targeting among smallholder farmers?

While participants prioritized food and nutrition security as a primary objectives it was concluded that other objectives were also valid depending on the country context and the target beneficiary group being focused on. No one intervention benefits all categories of smallholders but improved rural infrastructure, establishing farmer groups, research & extension and financial services were deemed to have greatest impact across smallholder categories. It was also agreed that IA should not confine itself to targeting one particular category of smallholder. The country context and the specific objectives of project interventions largely determine which smallholders need to be targeted. More detailed findings and comments are included in a separate meeting report .

There was a high level of engagement evident during the entire meeting mainly due to the different participatory techniques used for the various sessions. It was clear from the general feedback that there is a need to organise annual or biennial meetings among agriculture advisers. This would give field staff an opportunity to provide updates on progress achieved with different projects and partners and could foster and encoruage input into developing IA agriculture support policy and related issues.

2. Climate Change learning Platform

The Climate Change Learning Platform(CCLP) workshop ran from 19th-21st August in Lusaka which was facilitated by the IIED2. This was an excellent opportunity for IA staff and their country partners to spend quality time in a shared learning environment where progress and issues at country level were openly discussed. Presentations from each of four PCs3 noted that climate changes are happening with increasing frequency and intensity and are adding to the existing vulnerability of target groups in the PCs. In response IA, with their in-country partners, are working with vulnerable households, smallholder farmers, farmer organisations and have placed a strong emphasis in their support for rural women.

Quite a number of different initiatives are working well in the field including water harvesting, small scale irrigation, improved seed distribution, conservation agriculture, integrated crop & livestock systems, crop diversification, drought tolerant crops, bio-fortified crops, agro-forestry, home

1 food and nutrition security, smallholder incomes, natural resource management and economic growth2 Simon Anderson & Barbara Adolf3 Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia



gardens, bee-keeping and fuel saving stoves all of which are climate smart approaches and practices. These initiatives are providing a strong evidence base for policy engagement including advocacy for the inclusion of adaptation measures for policy planning and budgeting. On the other hand some initiatives have been found to have limited impact such as aid dependent interventions, afforestation, labour intensive practices, technology transfer outside government systems and local work undertaken without there being a clear link with national or regional policy.

The Platform provided a forum to clarify certain ambiguities in understanding on climate smart agriculture(CSA) and with good participation will improve learning experiences and optimise impact at PC level. IA officers from Ethiopia and Uganda also attended and gained useful insights for the inclusion of climate resilient approaches in the design and development of their own country strategies and programme interventions. Following the workshop some of the IA and IIED participants travelled to Northern Province(NP) to visit the Irish Aid Local Development Programme(IALDP) and see some of the initiatives being support in the field.

3. Irish Aid Local Development Programme (Northern Province)

3.1 Training of Trainers Workshops and Demonstration Sites (for IALDP)Background

One of the recommendations arising from an IALDP Design Workshop held in April 2014 was the need for the provision of focused training about sustainable soil management and conservation agriculture practices for Ministry of Agriculture & Livestock(MAL) extension officers and IALDP agriculture facilitators. The training was to include field soil analysis techniques, practical recommendations for better crop management and assistance for the design of field demonstration plots that lead to improved adoption rates of CA practices. Training was urgently needed and if possible during the months of August or September before the onset of seasonal rains.

A return visit to the IALDP had been planned for late July-early August during which two training workshops would be held, one in Mbala and one in Luwingu. This was deferred until after mid August to coincide with the aforementioned IA Agriculture Advisers meeting and a Climate Change Learning Platform workshop that were being held in Lusaka4.

Workshop contentThe training content developed for the workshops was based on earlier findings from NP. Many agricultural extension officers had received no formal training on CA and many had received no contemporary instruction on sustainable soil management techniques. In order for extension workers to feel comfortable with CA techniques, in other words the how, they would have to have a solid foundation in understanding key aspects of sustainable soil management or the why. A training support manual was developed to supplement content presented and information given at the workshops. A copy of the manual was provided to each participant to serve as a reference guide for their farmer training and field extension activities.

4 18-21st August



The first day of the training addressed the why and included practical techniques that extension officers could use in the field to assess soil production potential. In situations where soils are degraded practical remedial practices used in SSA regions were identified and presented to the training group. Day two included a thorough examination of the three principles of CA and how they could be adapted to NP soil and climate conditions. This day was designed to be more interactive with participants encouraged to use their past experiences and observations to hone in on potential conservation practices that would be applicable to farmer participants in the IALDP Livelihood Enhancement Groups(LEGs). The various topics covered in the training is provided in Annex 1; Materials used for the training are shown in Annex 2; Participants also completed evaluation sheets one of which is shown in Annex 3. The final day brought some of the learning from the lecture room into the field. A demonstration site had been identified in each district sufficient in size to include plots reflecting current farm practice combined with other plots using different CA practices.

Demonstration SitesThe first Mbala farm demonstration site had been identified but had not been marked out. The layout was completed during the field visit but reduced the time available to explain the various treatments to MAL and SHA officers. Due to a change in orientation of the site the land and associated ridges from last year will need to be levelled in three of the four plots. Maize residue and stover was standing on the site and needed to be spread evenly across relevant plots. Maize, beans and groundnuts will be sown at the site. There was a very high level of interest from female farmers that were present. Some fertiliser trees, including Faidherbia albida and Gliricidia sepium were left for subsequent planting with the host farmer with instruction given on their management post-planting.

The Luwingu site was better organised and had been roughly marked out but required further accurate measurement to finalise precise plot locations. Each conservation technique was demonstrated and explained to the SHA/MAL team and attending farmers. Some Faidherbia albida fertiliser trees were left with the host farmer for subsequent planting nearer the rains. Any outstanding issues were identified and clarified with the extension officers present.

Following discussions with the IALDP Programme Co-ordinator(PC) and Programme District Co-ordinators(PDCs) in Mbala/Luwingu it was recommended that the number of demonstration sites be reduced from the previously planned 10 per district to 5 per district. The rationale here is that 5 well managed and monitored sites will achieve more than 10 substandard ones especially during the first year of the demonstration programme. Based on soil sample analysis results, which showed low pH levels, it was decided to include applications of lime across different treatments. Extra demonstration sites will be included in 2015 and 2016 when other treatments and crops may be included to reflect local farmer choices and practices.

Workshop Outcomes



The following key points were noted from the workshops: In total 38 participants attended the two workshops - Mbala(23); Luwingu(15) There was good attendance from SHA(17) and MAL(13) including representation

from CGIAR(2), Lead farmers(3) and other NGOs(3) Feedback from both workshops was very positive with over 95% of participants

rating each of the individual sessions as being 'good' or 'very good' No omissions relating to content were identified by participants in the completed

evaluation sheets

Based on discussions held during the two workshops with SHA, MAL and farmers, it was clear that there was significant interest in developing demonstration sites for LEG members in the different wards. Notwithstanding this there was also a recognition that due to the intensive workload shared by extension officers it might be best to concentrate on reduced number of well managed demonstration sites in year one. Flexibility with crops used in plots should be based on local choices and availability of seed. While there was agreement that crop performance developments at the plot sites would be monitored and measured on an ongoing basis, it was less clear who would be responsible for doing this in the field. SHA and MAL need to decide on who is ultimately responsible for monitoring the sites with a view to garnering key learning lessons during this coming growing season for subsequent years. Similar ambiguity was obvious with relation to training events and how this were going to be planned and organised. A lot of focused planning and organisation is needed on how to get the most benefit from the demonstration sites and will require strong communications between MAL and SHA. The main priority is to select good representative sites with easy access for LEG members and ensure that they are well designed and managed well during the early part of the growing season.

3.2 Briefing on IALDP

On Sunday 24th August in Kasama, a briefing session was held in Self Help Africa offices for IA officers from HQ who were visiting the IALDP project. They had visited some of the LEGs in Luwingu the previous day. Included in the briefing was a presentation on agriculture issues that were limiting production potential in the region including soil fertility, soil erosion and degradation, slash and burn practices, monoculture etc.

3.3 Recommendations on IADLP (based on entire visit)The following actions are recommended:

Reduce total number of sites to five(5) per district with increased oversight given to Mbala district as outlined above



Farm Demonstration sites to be used as component in SHA research programme within the IALDP for integrating climate resilience and improving agricultural productivity

Add additional sites in 2015(an extra 5 per district) and 2016 (a further 5 per district) based on review, analysis and lessons learned from original demonstration sites

Select crops at sites based on local relevance and availability of seed to include at least two grains and/or two legumes from the following - maize, sorghum, millet, beans, soybeans, groundnuts etc.

IA Consultant and SHA Sustainable Agriculture Adviser to draft field recording sheet for monthly site M&E activities to be finalised with MAL/SHA input from the districts

MAL & SHA to agree on responsibility for record keeping and the analysis and use of field data

The majority of participants identified that the courses were practical and very relevant to their work

MAL & SHA including Lead Farmers to decide on training events and/or Farmer Field Schools(FFS) and how to use demonstration sites to increase farmer awareness

SHA to provide one page progress report to the IA Livelihoods and Nutrition Advisor on progress at Farm Demonstration Sites on quarterly basis

IA Zambia to conduct annual monitoring and evaluation on findings, progress and impact among LEGs of the CA development project

IA Zambia to consider using CA development project in NP as ongoing case study for Climate Change Learning Platform

On returning south prior to departure debriefing meetings were held in Lusaka on Monday 1st September with the SHA Head of Programmes(HoP) followed by a second meeting with the IA Embassy Head of Development(HoD).

John Geraghty(for Irish Aid)September 2014



Annex 1

Sustainable Soil Management & Conservation Agriculture Systems

Training of Trainers Workshop

DAY ONE

Soil Origins

The Physical Soil

The Chemical Soil

The Biological Soil

Soil Organic Matter Matters

DAY TWO

Conservation Agriculture

Minimum Soil Disturbance

Soil Cover with Residues & Cover Crops

Crop Rotations

CA for Smallholder Farming



Annex 2

Materials for CA TrainingMbala / Luwingu

Conference - Indoor RoomProjector & ScreenExtension Cable (electric)Display Board & Flipchart (2)Markers - different coloursPens (each Participant)Support Manuals (one for each Participant)Water for each sessionTea/Coffee - one break morning/one break afternoon

Training to starts at 9am; Break at 10.30am for coffee; Start again at 11am;Break at 12.30pm for lunch; Start at 2.00pm; Break at 3.20 for coffee; Final session 3.40pm and Finish 5.00pm

Conference - OutdoorPlot of ground convenient to conference centreWatering Can & Spout(2 of each)Water (20 Litres)Markers (see below)

Field - OutdoorPegs & Guidelines - 25m length (at least 4 of them - 8 if possible)Markers (e.g. bamboo) - 50 cm with 25cm painted whiteHoes (5 - plus)Machete/Cutlace (2-3)Bag of Agricultural LimeBag of Compound DWatering Can & Spout(2 of each - same as above)Water (20 Litres - as above)Crop residues at site (e.g. dried maize stalks) Plant residues at site (e.g. dried grass)

Field visit at demonstration site before 9.00am; Finish at 12 midday at site; One stop in bush en route back to Mbala/Luwingu (finish @ 2pm)



Annex 3

Sustainable Soil Management & Conservation Agriculture Systems Day 1 - Feedback Sheet

Course Topic VeryPoor

Poor Average Good VeryGood

The Physical SoilThe Chemical SoilThe Biological SoilSoil Organic Matter

1. Do you feel the content was relevant and applicable to your work?________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

2. What did you find useful?__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

3. Was there anything that wasn't useful? _______________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

Day 2 - Feedback Sheet

Course Topic VeryPoor

Poor Average Good VeryGood

Minimal Soil DisturbancePermanent Soil CoverRotations & Cover CropsExtension & Demonstration

1. Do you feel the above content was relevant and applicable to your work?__________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

2. What did you find most useful? _____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

3. Was there anything that wasn't useful? _______________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________



Annex 4Pictures from the Field

Slide 1: Women select suitable seed for next year's crops at the Golden Valley Agriculture Research Trust research station



Slide 2: Workers in the tree nursery at the Kasisi Agricultural Training Centre prepare bags for planting tree cuttings

Annex 4 continued

Slide 3: Kebbe Handongwe(SHA) explains the importance of residue cover to smallholders at a CA demonstration site in Mbala District



Slide 4: A farmer demonstrates how to make a planting basin at one of the CA demonstration plots in Mbala District

Annex 4 continued

Slide 5: District Co-ordinator of the IALDP, Edward Meleki, briefssmallholders about reduced cultivation practices in Luwingu



Slide 6: Demonstrating the planting of seed and the placement of fertiliser at one of the CA demonstration sites in Luwingu

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