Luapula Families In Distress- LUFAID

Mansa, Zambia

An Overview Of Our Solution

Sustainable land use that integrates biodiversity and ecosystems is promoted under the title of Community Based Natural Resource through Environment Rehabilitation & Reduce vulnerability for Rural Communities. Before the interventions, the rate of deforestation, land degradation, soil depletion negatively impacted their livelihood. The environmental concerns of the communities are as a result of human activity on the land, water and forest. Forest, land and water are major sources of income as the majority of the people in this region depend on agriculture for their livelihood. This method of cultivation coupled with the high rainfall received in this region has negative effect on the environment resulting into increased soil erosion, destruction of river banks & siltation of rivers and streams with varying consequences on the biodiversity including ecosystems.

Who is this solution impacting?

Community Type

Rural

Organization type

Sin fines de lucro/No Gubernamental

Ecosystem (select all that apply)

Forests

Population impacted

23,250 people

Size of agricultural area

10,000 ha divided between bee-keeping and vegetable gardens

Production quantity

300 kilos of honey and 5,000 kilos of vegetables

People employed

160 people

Describe your solution

Before the interventions community members were highly cutting trees for charcoal, fire wood, cooking including clearing fields for planting. They had absolutely no knowledge about fuel efficient stoves. Additionally, Conservation farming was also not known by most members of the communities including harvesting of water. The action built capacities of the community members in sustainable land, forest and water use. In forest management the action introduced how best to make fuel efficient stoves so as to reduce on tree cutting. To make the communities realize how important forest is to mankind action further introduced bee-keeping to provide them income as well as food. The communities were further made to grow their own nurseries of pines and eucalyptus trees that were managed up to a time of transplanting into organization plantations, some were sold and others were shared among the community member. In conservation farming community members were taught how to grow their crops using the organic fertilizer that adds nutrients to the soil. Demonstration gardens and fields were made and all the communities started practicing this sustainable land use method. The organization further impressed the community members not only to depend on rain water but introduced how best they could store water and harvest it during the rainy season. The different types of furrow irrigation were introduced and this enabled the gardening to be successful throughout the year.

Describe your implementation

Specific activities and/or specifically what your solution does to address the identified problems above in the Context Analysis section  Baseline study to establish the impact and facts on the project  Conducting policy engagement meetings with opinion leaders and key stakeholders  Forming of community groups through which most of the project activities are conducted  Procuring of variety of seeds such as Agro forestry and vegetable  Training in environmental friendly practices  Training in water, soil and forest conservation  Training in making and using fuel efficient stoves and afforestation  Constructing of water storage pits and also to harvest the rain water  Intensively introduction and practicing of Conservation farming  Bee - keeping training and farming The organization engaged the opinion leaders and key stakeholders and lobbied support for successful implementation of the project activities. This helped the organization and the community to buy in the project and design the best interventions to be conducted. The solution involved right based approach and ensured that economic, social and cultural rights were observed. Additionally, civil and political rights were upheld successfully. The solution improved community management of the environment, reduced deforestation, reduced fires, increased forest products with improved value. This situation increased land area under community protection and community rules and regulation for conservation. Any obstacles and how you overcame them The project suffered the drying up of some water sources. This situation affected the nurseries and seedlings in the dry season because water became a challenge. Water storages that were constructed were very small to hold water for both vegetable gardens and tree plantations. Nevertheless, treadle pumps and watering cans were utilized to get water from shallow dug out wells.

External connections

The Key stakeholders such as Ministry of Agriculture, Departments of Water Affairs, Fisheries and Forestry are closely working with LUFAID and some of them were even involved in the project design. The ministry of agriculture has been supporting the organization in human resource and actively participated in the constructions of water storage and in the introduction of furrow irrigation systems. The department of Forestry and Water Affairs were actively involved even in coming up with the organization strategic plan on environment and climate change. They made input on how best to manage the forest and water in order to develop the nation. The key partners mentioned above also guided us with Policy document that enabled and empowered the organization to work within government strategic plan. There are often engagement meetings with these key partners and constant monitoring of the progress of the action. The organisation efforts in actual sense compliments government or line Ministries and departments mentioned above in provision of services to the marginalized rural communities. The promotion of bee-keeping to produce honey enhances community management of forest while the promotion of water storage and harvesting rain water also enhances both sustainable water usage and community capacities to produce more food. The sustainable usage of land, water and forestry cuts on national finance and upholds national policies designed to implement national developmental programs

What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?

The organization targets environmental challenges such as effect of high rainfall on the soil accentuated by widespread use of nitrogenous fertilizers. It is estimated that acidification due to fertilize may account to the loss of up to 15% of arable land in 20 years in Zambia. (Zambia Environment Outlook Report, 2010) Soil nutrient loss, deterioration, destruction of structure and nasalization are common negative manifestations in Zambia besides pollution of water due to toxic- run off into water sources. Secondly, land degradation as a result of unprecedented level of mining especially in Mansa where the Municipal Council report of 2010 estimated about 15 companies conducting exploration and mining. The opening up of large spaces of land results into destruction of river banks, siltation, and deforestation. Furthermore, it is estimated that Zambia’s deforestation rate stands at between 250,000 to 300,000 thousands hectares of land per year. (CIFOR) and (ECZ 2000)5 Environment Report.

Describe the context in which you are operating

LUFAID is advocating natural resource management through environment rehabilitation for sustainable use among the marginalized rural communities. The approach encompasses sustainable means of land ownership, forest, water and land management as part of an integrated organic farming program for food security and diet diversity. Luapula Province in which the project is taking place is ranked the least in terms of poverty, water and sanitation. (UNICEF update of the situation analysis of children and women in Zambia) Additionally, malnutrition levels are very high and stunting is at 45% for under five children above the average for sub-Sahara Africa 42% (The 2007 ZDHS Survey report) Most of the communities at large lack knowledge on land use and forestry conservation and management. On the other hand the population of people has been tremendously increasing thereby putting more pressure on the land and water. Women in Zambia have fertility average of 6.2 children more than quarter of women ageing 15-19 are either mothers or currently pregnant contributing to high fertility rate resulting big population (ZDHS-2007)

How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?

The organization grew about 100,000 pines and eucalyptus. The pines were given to schools, churches, households who could not manage to buy them while some were sold. The other chunk was grown in the three organization plantations. Additionally, the organization introduced efficient fuel stoves that made a significant reduction on cutting of trees for fuel and cooking. Conservation farming was introduced and practiced. The use of organic fertilizer yielded success and plenty harvest begun to be seeing for the first time in the poverty stricken communities. Bee - keeping positively impacted the communities increasing the diet intake of sugar, while it helps them to fight hypertension complication that have hit not only older persons but most of men and women in Zambia. The production of honey has created employment for many poor rural communities since it does not require huge investment and there is less labour involved in harvesting it.

Language(s)

Which language(s) are spoken in the area where your solution is implemented?

Water

The water that is been harvested and kept in the storage tanks provides sustainable way of keeping or managing it and is only used when needed to water the gardens and for human and animal consumption. This has positively impacted communities and avoids contamination including pollution of water. The management of water is an integrated organic farming program which increases food security and diet diversity. Proper storage of water has reduced cases of diarrhea among the communities.

Food Security/Nutrition

The community members acquired appropriate technologies that enabled them to increase food production which in turn provided nutrition for their families. Increased food production meant food security at household level. Additionally, growing crops without nitrogenous fertilizer paved way for organic fertilizer hence the production of health food that has natural nutrients. A well fed community means a health people and inspires national development.

Economic/Sustainable Development

The action economically contributed to national development through enhanced food security at both community and house hold levels and also through promoting the creation of employment for the rural poor communities. The action interventions are sustainable and do not need huge investment

Climate

The promotion of growing tree plantations has been a good positive move in combating negative effect of climate change which is affecting both ecosystem and biodiversity including issues of carbon emission. The community benefited in acquiring fuel efficient stoves that used less fire wood for cooking. Proper management of land, water and forestry has potential to combat and mitigate climate changes impact

Sustainability

The action results are shared during feedback meetings and best practices for replication are shared too. The most variables that the organization has for replication and scale are skills, market, partnership and community mobilization. The wise investments of these variables produces good outcome such as agroforestry, bee-keeping, multi-skills, inclusive governance, accountability, incentive conservation and good value and promote sustainability while it builds on long - term value.
The sustainability of the solution does not entirely depend on the government subsidies but on market based revenue. The solutions have potential for growing and achieving greater success if well supported.

Return on investment

The implementation of the project activities only cost $44 dollars which was invested for two years and started producing good results. The results as compared to the return on investment are quiet enormous because their benefits were overwhelming. The communities have continued even up to day harvesting the benefits of the investment made two years ago. The knowledge acquired is still been utilized among the community members.

How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?

The solution could be replicated in most rural areas among the marginalized communities. Communities that depend on land, forest and water to produce food and earn a livelihood. Sustainable Land use and water is the most proper way to achieving food security at household level because it provides capacities for appropriate technologies thus cost savings and increased yields. Households acquire income security as a result of higher income through market incentives linked to adoption compliances scores. Additionally, environmental security is experienced at community level as a result of good leadership organization to teach and strengthen compliance. The needed funding to replicate this solution on average would be $ 100,000 dollars. This would cater for trainings and some materials that will go in the demonstration and implementing of the solution. The key partners would be the government line Ministries of Agriculture, Lands, and the departments of Forestry and Water Affairs.

Overview