Nourish Zambia Newsletter, Issue No. 1 (Sept-Dec 2012)

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OCTOBER DECEMBER 2012

NourishZambia QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF THE ZAMBIA FEED-THE-FUTURE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

In this issue: Vision of Success: Zambia FtF R&D Program to benefit more than 100,000 poor rural households

Nourish Zambia is produced by the Coordination Office of the Zambia FtF R&D Program based at IITA’s Southern Africa Hub in Lusaka.

For suggestions or contributions to this newsletter, please email n.kamanga@cgiar.org or j.oliver@ cgiar.org.

Over 1500 womenfarmers engage in seed multiplication

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ore than 1500 women-farmers under the I-FINITE and SIMLEZA Projects have engaged in the production and multiplication of groundnut, soybean, and cowpea seeds. This is a significant increase over the 2011 period during which only 64 womenfarmers were involved in the activity.

The women have been motivated not only by nutritional benefits in the form of protein to supplement their families, but also as a way to earn cash to supplement their livelihoods, consequently empowering them.

This development came after the demand for seeds was created following the Trainingof-Trainers on Soybean and Cowpea Processing and Utilization conducted under the SIMLEZA Project. During this training, a total of 26 agriculture and health personnel were exposed to various methods of utilizing soybean

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Over 1500 women-farmers engage in seed multiplication

Photo by JTOliver, IITA.

ZARI-Mt Makuru tissue culture laboratory upgraded Orange Maize & Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato Projects in joint nutrition training Aflasafe successfully deployed in Zambia Pro-Vitamin A maize launched in Zambia Zambia FtF R&D Program: 2012 summary of achievements

Vision of Success: Zambia Feed-the-Future Research & Development Program to benefit more than 100,000 poor rural households

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ince its launch in June 2011, the Zambia Feed-the-Future Research and Development Program, funded by USAID, has been working hard to reach its target of improving the plight of 120,000 rural households in Zambia’s Eastern Province – acknowledged by the government as the country’s poorest and most food insecure region. The program has been working in 64 camps (a camp is a geographical operational unit of the Ministry of Agriculture) in all the nine districts of the province to positively impact and transform lives at individual, household, and community levels.

The program is investing US$18 million over 5 years to improve the productivity of key crops and enhance nutrition. It is being implemented through partnership between five international agriculture research centers, the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI), public universities, private sector, and other stakeholders.

Specifically, the program will improve the productivity and sustainability of maize-based farming systems through the incorporation of improved varieties, rotation and intercropping with legumes, and the adoption of conservation farming practices through the “Sustainable

Intensification of Maize-Legume Systems” (SIMLEZA) Project implemented by IITA and CIMMYT. It will harness research on diseaseresistant varieties and improved management practices to improve the competitiveness and profitability of groundnut through the “Improving Groundnut Farmer Incomes & Nutrition through Technology Enhancement“ (I-FINITE) Project implemented by ICRISAT. It will protect Zambia’s staple cassava crop against the devastation of deadly cassava mosaic and brown streak diseases by adapting improved varieties to local conditions and preferences through the “Mitigating Cassava Diseases Threats” Project implemented by IITA. The program will also combat malnutrition by developing and promoting nutrient-rich crops such as orangefleshed sweet potato and pro-Vitamin A-rich orange maize as an innovative solution to address Vitamin A deficiency suited for poor rural households through the “Dissemination of Orange Maize” Project implemented by HarvestPlus and the “Increasing the Intake of Vitamin A through Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato” Project implemented by CIP.

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Nourish Zambia, Issue No. 1 (September - December 2012)

Over 1500 women-farmers... from page 1

Vision of Hope... continued from page 1

and cowpea. In addition, through the I-FINITE Project, farmers have also been exposed to various postharvest technologies that include oil extraction and peanut butter-making as well as groundnut shelling technologies, the latter aimed at reducing postharvest labor.

A total of 1,985 farmers received 10kg of groundnut seed each, while 60 farmers received 25 kg of soybean seed, and another 60 farmers received 2kg of cowpea seed each. In turn, the farmers are expected to produce a total of 223 tons of groundnut seeds, 30 tons of soybean seeds, and 7.5 tons of cowpea seeds.

The Program will also focus on mitigating deadly aflatoxins in key cash and food security crops by developing biocontrol technology that uses native beneficial fungal strains to out-compete toxinproducing species. This research has enormous potential in improving householdlevel nutrition as well as paving the way to remove a major barrier to regional and global trade in groundnuts and maize. This is being implemented by IITA and ICRISAT. The program also aims to strengthen the capacity of local implementing institutions to ensure sustainable implementation of its various interventions. This includes offering short-term technical and long-term (MSc and PhD-level) training to qualified staff of local partner institutions, particularly ZARI. In this first issue of the Nourish Zambia newsletter, we highlight some of the program’s achievements in its first year of implementation.

We hope to reach out and let people know the ability and capacity of Zambian smallholder farmers to be economically viable, politically stable, and actively engaged in the fight against poverty and food Insecurity.

Through Nourish Zambia you will discover the great resilience, ingenuity, dedication, and optimism of Zambian farmers to improve their lives. You will hear the voices of the Program’s many stakeholders, resonating with the vision of hope for a better tomorrow.

We also wish to thank the USAID/Feedthe-Future Initiative for making all these possible and giving renewed hope to Zambian farmers.

Happy reading!

A woman-farmer showing the soybean seeds given to her by the SIMLEZA project for multiplication.

ZARI-Mt Makuru tissue culture laboratory upgraded

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nder the Mitigating Cassava Disease Threats Project, the tissue culture laboratory at ZARI’s Mt Makuru Station has been upgraded with the procurement and installation of a Gel Documentation System (Bio-Rad) at the station’s pathology/biotechnology laboratory. The system has been calibrated and test runs have been performed to ensure smooth operations. Other equipment procured include a thermo shaker, micro pipettes, and PCR consumables.

The rehabilitation and equipment upgrade has enabled the laboratory to conduct detection and analysis of cassava mosaic disease virus types in plant samples.

Relatedly, the tissue culture protocol for cassava has been validated, and plants have been raised and shipped to IITA-Tanzania in December 2012 Some of the newly-procured equipment for the tissue culture laboratory at ZARI’s Mt Makuru for cassava brown streak disease evaluation under high disease pressure. Station.

Orange Maize & Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato Projects in joint nutrition training

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arvestPlus and the International Potato Centre (CIP), through the Orange Maize and Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato Project components of the Zambia FtF R&D Program, conducted two training seminars on food health and nutrition from 28 October to 3 November 2012; and from 17 to 20 December 2012 at Luangwa. Some 156 representatives from the Ministries of Education, Health, Community Development, and Agriculture participated.

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The training mainly aimed at establishing the roles and responsibilities of the key stakeholders working with the two projects. Participants were also made aware of the current Vitamin A deficiency levels in Zambia among children, which stand at 54%. Other topics included introduction to biofortification with a focus on Vitamin A Maize (Orange Maize) and Vitamin A Sweet Potato (Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato), sources and nutritional importance of Vitamin A, and the effects of

Vitamin A deficiency on the human body.

Also tackled were the benefits of proper storage, processing, consumption and opportunities to market Vitamin A maize in the future. Participants also discussed how best the project will be promoted collaboratively and at the ministry levels.

The significant output of the training was the establishment of the roles that the different stakeholders represented there should play under the projects, as follows: Ministry of Agriculture: Training

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Nourish Zambia, Issue No. 1 (September - December 2012)

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farmers in improved agronomic practices to enhance production and productivity; conduct demonstrations and farmer field days, including facilitating Q&A sessions during such events; and conduct training on food processing, utilization, and storage (post-harvest handling) Ministry of Health: Incorporation of nutrition gardens at health centers; conduct cooking demonstrations (educating people on the health and nutrition benefits of crops); conduct growth monitoring programs; promote health and nutrition messages through various communication channels (brochures, leaflets, posters, and print and broadcast media); and hold clinics (neighborhood health care committees, and under-five and antenatal clinics).

Ministry of Community Development: Identify beneficiaries; conduct food demos through food fares; mobilize farmers and women groups; facilitate conduct of drama group presentations on health and nutrition in communities.

A cross section of the training participants listening to a presentation on Vitamin A-fortified orange maize.

Ministry of Education: Incorporate orange maize and the orange-fleshed sweet potatoes At the close of the training, Mrs Emely in the SHN and school garden programs Banda, HarvestPlus Communication & (through parent-teachers committees, Demand Creation Specialist, thanked drama, focus group discussions, and the participants for their various roles in meetings of teachers, students, parents, promoting Vitamin A maize and orangeand community leaders). fleshed sweet potato.

Aflasafe successfully deployed in Zambia

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armers in Zambia are in high spirits as IITA and partners develop and distribute the first-ever batch of aflasafeTM that is tailor-made for the country, giving hope of crops that are safe from deadly aflatoxins.

In mid-January, maize farmers in the Eastern Province of Zambia received more than one ton of aflasafeTM that is now being applied in their fields. This marks the first official field application of the biocontrol product in the country and comes only a year after researchers from IITA, ZARI, and the National Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research (NSIR) began work to develop a biocontrol product that uses native beneficial fungal

strains to outcompete toxin-producing species. The product was developed under the Aflatoxin Mitigation Project of the Zambia FtF R&D Program.

After a year of careful study at IITA in Nigeria and the US Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), researchers identified eight unique and naturally-occurring non-toxic strains from over 3000 Zambian fungi.

These strains do not possess the genetic machinery to produce aflatoxins, are unrelated to aflatoxin-producing fungi, and are highly competitive. These strains were then used to develop aflasafeTM-Zambia.

Belita Kayumba, the first farmer to receive and apply aflasafeTM in Zambia said, “We know that some of the crops we produce are not safe to eat, but what can I do when my children say that

The IITA-ZARI team, together with Mrs. Belita Kayumba (middle, in blue skirt), a maize farmer, as she happily received her batch of aflasafe as part of the first field application of the biocontrol product in Zambia.

they are very hungry? We just take our chances.”

“But now with aflasafeTM here in my field I am sure that my children will finally be safe and healthy!” she said excitedly.

Dr Thomas Dubois, IITA scientist who led the research to develop aflasafeTM for Zambia, said, “In a couple of months, after harvest, she and other farmers will know how good aflasafeTM is in reducing aflatoxins in their crops and in their food.”

“The use of aflasafeTM reduces aflatoxins during crop development, in postharvest storage, and throughout the value chain.

Based on our experience in West Africa, we estimate that aflatoxin levels in fields treated with aflasafeTM will be reduced by 80 to 90 percent,” he added.

Maize and groundnuts—two of Zambia’s most important cash and food security crops—are prone to aflatoxin contamination. This is a major concern as it negatively affects the health of humans and domesticated animals, causing stunting in children and cancer. Aflatoxin contamination also hampers international trade and economic growth as it prevents affected export commodities from meeting stringent trade and food safety standards.

Worse still is that rejected contaminated produce are not usually destroyed and find their way into the domestic food chain, wreaking havoc on local consumers.

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Nourish Zambia, Issue No. 1 (September - December 2012)

Pro-Vitamin A maize launched in Zambia

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he Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI), in partnership with HarvestPlus, has officially launched ProVitamin A maize in the country.

This historic occasion took place on 2 October 2012 at the New Government Complex in Lusaka. The launch follows the official release/approval of three orange maize varieties, dubbed GV662A, GV664A, and GV665A, by the National Variety Release Committee on 21 September 2012.

On making the announcement, Mr Nicholus Banda, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, said the release of Vitamin A-rich maize varieties in Zambia is a historical landmark for country’s

agricultural research, which will soon bear upon public health in addressing micronutrient deficiencies.

“As a staple food, maize is consumed by almost everyone in Zambia. Our favorite maize-based dish, nshima, accounts for 80% of the maize consumed in Zambia.

But unfortunately, it is mainly white maize that is consumed. If orange maize is adopted for consumption, people can more easily improve their Vitamin A status and escape ill health,” he said.

“Apart from nshima, Vitamin A maize can also be consumed as green maize, samp, porridge or munkoyo,“ the Minister added.

Speaking at the same function, Dr. Wolfgang Pfeiffer, HarvestPlus Global Operations Manager, thanked the Government of Zambia and ZARI for their commitment to reducing Vitamin A deficiency through the promotion of orange maize. “I hope that the whole of Zambia will be eating orange nshima in the next 5 to 7 years,” he added.

Dr Moses Mwale, Director of ZARI, expressed his happiness that their Project beneficiaries singing about the health benefits of pro-Vitamin A orange maize.

breeding work had finally yielded fruit.

“We promise to continue to work hand-in-hand with HarvestPlus to further increase the levels of Vitamin A in maize for the benefit of all Zambians,” Mwale responded.

The dissemination of pro-Vitamin A maize is one of the six projects under the Zambia FtF R&D Program that seeks to reduce Vitamin A deficiencies in Zambia among children, which currently stand at 54%, by promoting Vitamin A-fortified maize. It aims to achieve this by evaluating and promoting available nutrient-dense maize products, developing new nutrient-dense products with excellent agronomic performance suited to local conditions, and strengthening the capacity of public and private and maize research institutions.

The project is targeting 80,000 households in Zambia, of which 12,000 are in the country’s Eastern Province.

Zambia FtF R&D Program: 2012 summary of achievements • • •

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Aflatoxin: First ever Zambian Product developed to mitigate the impact of aflatoxin in maize and groundnuts; Aflasafe-ZM01 is being tested on 80 farmer fields.

Cassava Diseases Threats Mitigation Project: 93 PVS varieties under second year of testing have been established in 2013 testing 5 cassava varieties compared to 63 in 2012.

Orange Maize: First-ever Vitamin A orange maize officially released on the Zambian open market; farmers producing orange maize have increased from 135 in 2012 to 365 in 2013. In addition, 40 Schools and 1 college with an average of 500 students received inputs; 40 clubs(women/youth/farmer) with an average number of 25 members also received inputs.

Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP): Six varieties of OFSP tested in 2012 through PVS by 30 farmers; 3 varieties selected and now (2013) undergoing vine multiplication by 5 farmers and also being demonstrated by at least 50 new farmers.

I-FINITE: 10 varieties of groundnuts tested under PVS in 2012, out of which 3 were selected but are still being evaluated for the second season in all target districts. A total of 1942 farmers x 10 kg each actual vs 2000 farmers x 10 kg each planned) farmers engaged in seed multiplication in 2013, against 64 farmers x 5 kg each in 2012.

SIMLEZA: 281 farmers engaged in PVS trials in 2013 compared to 68 in 2012 under second season of PVS testing in all districts.

Zambia FtF R&D Program Implementing Partners:

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This newsletter is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID.) The contents of this newsletter are the sole responsibility of the Zambia FtF R&D Program and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.