Early field preparation and climate smart agriculture beats climate change impact on farming-farmers advised

By KELVIN MBEWE
Thursday, 3/09/2026
Chilanga

Farmers countrywide have been advised to start preparations and planning on how they will conduct their farming activities to ensure that unexpected climate changes do not affect their produce.

And farmers have also been advised to apply climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) so that they can maximise on their produce in case of unforeseen climate changes.

Ministry of Agriculture Agricultural Assistant
Kachenjela camp Agridah Mukwatu said this today at the ZAMGROW workshop for Kachenjele based farmers.

“Those that are serious have already started digging holes and applying manure in their fields, we need to start preparing our fields by April/May. This is because the rainfall pattern has not been consistent, sometimes rain start in Sept, sometimes in December,” said Ms. Mukwatu.

She emphasised that climate Smart Agriculture increases productivity, income and maximises land usage.

“When there is no sufficient rain, the little rain that remains in the holes can grow your produce and the manure or fertiliser cannot be washed away,”she said.

Ms. Mukwatu also called on farmers to take farming as a business that should be profit driven.

“Let us plan on how we will conduct our farming activities, let us budget, let us think of growing more food for our families and for sale. We also need to find market for our produce,” she said.

She added that farmers ought to research about what crops they want to grow and that they should not easily give up on farming when they experience unwanted circumstances.

And speaking at the same meeting Kachenjela farmer Dorothy Chisanga advised fellow farmers to plant beans in between there maize crops to deter armyworms from attacking their maize.

Another farmer Fredrick Hampande said crops such as millet cannot thrive in Chilanga area due to the high number of birds that eat millet.