Maravi

ZNFU launches 5-year strategic plan

ZNFU launches 5-year strategic plan
Written by Kabanda Chulu
Friday, May 29, 2009 4:37:53 PM

ZAMBIA National Farmers Union (ZNFU) has launched a five year core support strategic plan worth K54.3 billion aimed at improving food security, farm incomes and to reduce poverty.

And ZNFU president Jervis Zimba has said Zambia’s agricultural growth has remained volatile despite its huge potential with majority of rural households still living below the poverty datum line.

During the signing ceremony of the 2009-2013 joint financing agreement between ZNFU and Finland, Netherlands and Sweden in Lusaka on Wednesday, Zimba said of the K54.3 billion, cooperating partners would contribute K17.6 billion while the rest of the funds would be generated by ZNFU.

He said the agricultural sector was now the biggest employer in the country and contributed about 25 per cent and 20 per cent of Zambiaís foreign exchange and gross domestic product respectively.

“Despite this progress, Zambia’s agricultural growth has however, remained volatile with majority of rural households having only marginally taken part in it and this is why we have continued seeing rural poverty rising in most parts of Zambia,” said Zimba.

“When compared to its potential, the Zambian agriculture sector has underperformed when seen from variables such as growth, cultivated area and yields of the main crops due to a combination of policy distortions and structural characteristics such as poor rural infrastructure, high cost of doing business and vulnerability to droughts and flooding.”

And speaking on behalf of the cooperating partners, Embassy of Sweden deputy head of mission Charlotta Norrby said donors had placed emphasis on agriculture since it was one of the drivers of economic growth and necessary to poverty reduction.

She said the Paris agenda on aid effectiveness pointed out that support to the public sector should be complemented by support to civil society organisations to promote a pluralistic and democratic society.

“We understand that ZNFU principle functions are to promote participation and a rights-based approach, putting farmers on the development agenda and promoting the small scale farmers participation and representation,” said Norrby.

“The implementation of the strategic plan is expected to help increase and retain membership needed for both ZNFU’s lobby influence and increased membership subscriptions in order to remain the voice of the farmer for dialogue and policy advice to the government.”

The core support strategic plan would undertake to improve ZNFU research capacity and consolidate its lobbying and advocacy functions, improve member services provision and district farmer association outreach programmes, mainstream gender, HIV and AIDS and the environment, among other issues.

Labels: JERVIS ZIMBA, ZNFU

posted by MrK @ 3:41 PM