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1 AgriSmart (Zambia) NGO registration number: ORS/102/35/5570 Head Office: 13 K Reedbuck Street,

Kabulonga, Lusaka PO Box 320017, Lusaka, Zambia Tel: +260-211-267493/4 Fax: +260-211-67495

AgriSmart Zambia Operations



AgriSmart Zambia is an established organization with a focus on Innovative Technology and Research

for Sustainable Development in agriculture. The main purpose of the organization is to conduct

research that will enhance the viability of small farms in Zambia. Small farmers are characterized by low

agricultural production and food insecurity, particularly among the rural poor. With increasing lack of

food and more complex life for rural dwellers, small scale agriculture is becoming a challenging

operation. Although useful agricultural information is constantly generated and is available in

agricultural research institutions, public, research and university libraries, and nongovernmental

organizations, rural farmers in Zambia do not readily access these information resources. This is partly

because much of this information is packaged in elitist formats that small scale farmers cannot use.

AgriSmart with the help of its partners analyze the complex environments and find solutions that will

lead to sustainable small scale agriculture. AgriSmart facilitate the use and sharing of agricultural

information effectively, leading to the optimal use of the resources at the small scale farmer’s disposal

resulting in improved food production, while reducing food and nutrition insecurity as well as rural

poverty.

Both women and men play critical roles in agriculture throughout the world, producing, processing and

providing the food we eat. Rural women in particular are responsible for half of the world’s food

production and produce between 60 and 80% of the food in most developing countries. Yet, despite

their contribution to global food security, women farmers are frequently underestimated and

overlooked in development strategies. AgriSmart address gender issues and focus on projects relating to

gender equality.

Introduction of new regulations on maximum pesticide residue levels and food hygiene, and private

food safety standards around the world threatened the livelihoods of millions of Zambians involved in

the fresh fruit and vegetable supply chain export sub-sector. Compliance by small-holder vegetable

producers was constrained by a combination of lack of technical know-how on the new international

and private food-safety requirements and standards, and inefficient extension system. In collaboration

with international and national public and private institutions, AgriSmart facilitate proper interpretation

and application of the requirements and standards by small-holder vegetable producers, targeting the

fresh produce export sub-sector. The objectives of AgriSmart are to promote good agricultural practices,

promote sustainable agriculture, promote optimal management of natural resources including solar,

management of soil and water to adapt to climate change, based on market first approach.



It was demonstrated that with efficient extension services, it is possible for smallholder vegetable

growers to adopt good agricultural practices that will foster production of quality vegetables with

acceptable global safety standards without jeopardizing quantities.

AgriSmart has successfully partnered with University of California, Davis, USA to implement programs

relating to nutrition of small holder farmers in the Zambia. In this initiative, AgriSmart will help produce

African Indigenous Vegetables in Zambia and facilitate consumption of the same. Also, AgriSmart has

been contracted to establish a Horticulture Innovation Regional Center for Southern Africa to serve

smallholder farmers in Zambia in partnership with UNZA.

AgriSmart was established by a think tank consisting of members from various institutions such as

Agribusiness in Sustainable Natural African Plant Products (ASNAPP); Rutgers University, USA; Purdue

University, USA; University of California, Davis, USA; United States Agency for International

Development (USAID) and other local organizations. The main source of funding for AgriSmart comes

from grants and direct investment. The most recent grant is from University of California, Davis, USA

relating to nutrition of smallholder farmers in Zambia. This grant links AgriSmart with Rutgers

University, Purdue University and Kenya Agricultural Research Institute. A second grant focuses on

establishing a Horticulture Innovation Regional Center for Africa, located in Southern Africa based in

Lusaka, Zambia. This regional center’s vision is to become one of the Horticulture Innovation Labs

Regional Centres (www.hortcrsp.ucdavis.edu) open to conduct trainings as well as introduce and

demonstrate technologies. This will be accomplished through conducting applied research from

production through postharvest handling, product development to reduce poverty, improve health.

Emphasis will be placed on nutrition and environmental and economic sustainability for smallholder

farmers through profitable current horticultural methods.

Marketing linkages have established with SPAR, Steers, Deboinairs, Sun International, Shoprite, Protea

Hotels, Nando’s, Tobasco and Fruit and Veg. We signed up about 75 MOUs with communities totalling

more than 5000 beneficiaries, 5 seedling propagation centers in three provinces and two greenhouses

innovation centers. We also established 75 mini innovations centers in the eastern province, Lusaka

province and the southern province, involving about 3000 small scale farmers with more than 10,000

beneficiaries. In Zambia, AgriSmart will work with COMESA, Syngenta MRI, ZABS and Comaco. Among

the beneficiaries, about 60% of them are women and 40% younger than 25 years old. Seedling

production units have established with the help of the communities, 90% managed by women.

The smallholder farmers have been experiencing declining yields due to land degradation.

http://www.hortcrsp.ucdavis.edu/



Their participation in maintaining and improving land resources require identifying some factors that

could act as incentives. The farmer incentives have generally revolved around marketing related factors.

It would be worthwhile to determine whether the incentives entailed by proximity to market, input and

output prices can also have any effect on farmer decision to adopt conservation practices in Zambia.

Moreover, farming systems have been determined by location. It is important therefore, that some

insight is gained into what role location factors would play on farmer’s choice of conservation practices.

Equally important is the realization that farmers are always trying technologies. Our objective is to

introduce technologies that can be adopted by smallholder farmers with limited resources.

The extent to which agricultural research has reduced poverty has become an increasing concern of

policymakers, donors, and researchers. Until recently, poverty reduction was a secondary goal of

agricultural research. The primary focus was on increasing food supplies and reducing food prices, a

strategy that was successful in increasing the yields of important food staples. When increased

productivity is combined with increased agricultural employment, lower food prices, and increased off-

farm employment, agricultural research can be credited with significant reductions in rural poverty.

However, these benefits do not necessarily materialize, and thus it is essential to understand how

agricultural technologies influence and are influenced by the diverse livelihood strategies, vulnerability

context, relations of gender and power, and other conditions of the poor. Our projects identify factors

that should be understood at an early stage such as the priority poor people put on managing risk; the

types of social differentiation (gender; class; ethnicity, etc.) that will affect the uptake and impacts of

technologies; the variety of traits that farmers value; and the role of agriculture in livelihood strategies.

With regard to methodology, the case studies underscore the need to consider direct and indirect

impacts and to avoid restricting analysis to only impacts that can be easily quantified. Mixing disciplines

and research methods are essential to achieve efficiency.

Establishing market linkages and supporting private rural enterprises require a new set of policies,

instruments and means of engagement between the public and private sectors, with appropriate

support from external donors. The resources that AgriSmart brings to bear can be used to help establish

an enabling policy and institutional framework for rural private-sector development. These resources

can also finance critical public goods and services so that private-sector markets can be made to work

more efficiently and on terms more favourable for the rural poor. AgriSmart can also leverage additional

resources from the private sector through its catalytic role in mobilizing funds, its willingness to partner

with others, and its efforts to explore new and innovative ways to enhance the impact of its operations.

AgriSmart’s comparative advantage lies mainly in its experience in working with the rural poor through

its projects and programmes, its participatory and bottom-up approaches to development,



and its willingness to take risks and explore innovative means to help the rural poor lift themselves out

of poverty. AgriSmart’s strategy for the private sector capitalizes on this comparative advantage and

applies a bottom-up approach in working with this sector. In essence, AgriSmart – through its projects

and programmes – will support or partner with the private sector only if and when this is to the benefit

of its target group, the rural poor. AgriSmart introduce environmentally sustainable income generating

activities such as drip irrigation through solar pumps and rainwater harvesting for irrigation.

AgriSmart is cognizant of the human rights based approaches in agriculture development. It utilizes four

concepts to promote human rights within its organization. The first concept requires staff to be familiar

with the human rights framework, not only for its own sake but to be able to conduct a human rights

analysis that will enable the establishment of human rights objectives whose implementation can then

be measured against human rights standards and norms. The second focuses on the basic human rights

principles of equality and nondiscrimination as the broad overall objective of the development effort, as

well as on participation and inclusion, and accountability and the rule of law. The third concept requires

strengthening the capacities of rights-holders to claim their rights and of duty bearers to meet their

obligations. The last principle, therefore, requires a comprehensive claim-holder analysis. Integration of

a human rights-based approach into all AgriSmart’s activities and projects are in line with the common

standards. We intensified in-house coordination of human rights activities, ensuring a more effective

contribution to the advancement of all human rights. We also increased awareness and knowledge on

the part of AgriSmart’s staff of human rights standards, major challenges to human rights and human

rights-based programming.

Rural women make up the majority of the world’s poor. They have the world’s lowest levels of schooling

and the highest rates of illiteracy. In all developing regions, female-headed rural households are among

the poorest of the poor. To better empower women agricultural producers to reach their potential,

AgriSmart promotes women’s leadership in agriculture, fosters policy changes that increase women’s

access to land and other assets, and strengthens women's access to financial and extension

services. AgriSmart encourages women to play a decisive role in food security, dietary diversity and

children’s health. While men grow mainly field crops, women are usually responsible for growing and

preparing most of the food consumed in the home and raising small livestock, which provides protein.

Therefore, most of the vegetable production and marketing is managed by participating women within

AgriSmart.



AGRISMART SERVICES:

Implementing partner on Agricultural projects;

Managing training institutions / incubators;

Supply technologies to the industry such as solar irrigation, drip technology, hi-tech crop spaying, germ plasm, new varieties, drought tolerant varieties, conservation farming, climate smart technologies, water harvesting, soil nutrient fixing varieties, solar dryers, greenhouse production and crop production practices;

Support the agricultural sector on food safety and minimum standards with it partnership with leading universities and institutions (ZABS);

Introduce Post-harvest technology to the industry to reduce post-harvest losses;

Full value chain analysis with the support of leading universities;

Research;

Training on all crop production practices, post-harvest handling, food safety, business skills, record keeping and capacity building;

Market linkages;

Supply contracts;

Market research / assessment;

Facilitate financing;

Facilitate agro dealer linkages;

Irrigation design;

Baseline studies;

Renewable energy.



AgriSmart Seedling greenhouses (Livingstone, Petauke, Katete, Chipata and

Lundazi)



Petauke Lundazi

Livingstone Katete



AgriSmart community open field production

Mukuni Village Mambova

Lusaka Chipata



Sinazongwe Lusaka

Lusaka Mukuni



GREEN HOUSE PRODUCTION

Chipata Chipata

Lusaka Lusaka



AgriSmart Zambia Solar Powered Irrigation

Background

Traditional solar pumping systems cater for shallow boreholes and low capacities,

and are mainly used for far off cattle/game drinking water supplies. The current cost of electricity and future tariff increases have necessitated a more in-

depth look at the availability of equipment suitable for using renewable power. Sunlight is almost always available, and is free. Accredited solar panel manufacturers guarantee solar panels for 25 years through an

independent insurance agency.

New solar pumping system

Making use of ordinary three phase motors and pumps, any application can now be

accommodated. Any size pump can be run from our solar system. Any duty can be accommodated, be it large capacity, or high displacement heads. Our system is suitable for borehole pumps (deep well), as well as surface (booster)

pumps. The new system developed makes use of a Variable Speed Drive (VSD), enabling the

pump to run for longer every day, because the sun’s radiation does not have to be at

the highest level for the pump to operate No inverters or batteries are required, as the solar energy (DC) is taken straight to

the VSD which converts it to 3 phase, 380 VAC current to run the pump’s motor. Special lightning arrestors and surge protection, as well as isolators and fuses can be

installed for protection of the system



Benefits of VSD Solar systems

Off the shelf pumps, and three phase motors are used with this system. A standard Yaskawa VSD is used, with locally developed software. Spares and replacement equipment are always available. All equipment used are readily available in South Africa, and neighboring countries

The inclusion of solar power is the most effective, cost-efficient approach to ensure

long-term sustainability of local energy to operate the water pumping and irrigation

scheme. The normal breakdown and theft of generators, the high costs of operation,

maintenance and repair and the typical unreliability of generators in remote areas for

irrigation increase risk that would also be avoided with use of the proposed VSD solar

system which in contrast is easy to install and maintain.



AGRISMART IP

IP develop in collaboration with Rutgers State University, New Jersey, University of

Stellenbosch and UC Davis, California.

Production Manuals ( Horticulture crops)



Technical Training Manuals



Safety Guides

Post-Harvest Guides



RESEARCH PAPERS

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Documents