ICA Japan - Zambia 1999

Zambia Sustainable Agriculture Village Educator October 1999 - March 2000 ICA team in Ipongo. Mr. James Sinayangwe ( agriculture expert ) , Mr. Noah Simpasa ( water and sanitation expert ) , Ms. Momoko Nakazawa and Ms. Akiko Zukeran worked together in Ipongo to empower and uplift the life of farmers.
Project Overview
Life in Ipongo
	1. A typical farmers house in Ipongo area. For a family of 8, a minimum of 12 bags x 90 kg of maize per year is needed. However, before ICA started working in the community, there was scarcity of food in this area. Especially in the lean months of January - February.
	2. The water source of Ipongo river, which supplies water throughout the year. The amazing thing is that there is more water during dry season than rainy season.
	3. There are lots of trees in Ipongo area. Since these trees conserve water, protect soil erosion and improve fertility, ICA advises farmers not to log them.
	4. A village road in Ipongo area. ICA staff ride motor-bikes on this road covering 12,000 people, radius of 41 km, to organize the community, carry out field visits and conduct several trainings.
	5. The only clinic in Ipongo. Every Tuesday underweight children come to the clinic to eat porridge mixed with groundnut flour, which is rich in protein. Since ICA has promoted planting groundnuts, people have become aware of the importance of food legumes.
	6. Ipongo is located next to Lukanga swamps. Some villagers earn their living by catching fish.
Community organization
	7. ICA office and house of Ipongo area. Basically 2 ICA staff stay here and visit an average of 50 farmers per day. ICA has built a firm trust with farmers and have empowered them to develop their community by themselves.
	8. Farmers attending leadership training. After, leadership capacity building, explanation of clubs, committee members, farmerﾕs clubs are formed. Leadership training is essential to bring farmers together.
	9. Club members writing notes in the sustainable agriculture training. In this training, farmers are trained in growing open pollinated variety of maize and sorghum, practice of crop rotation utilizing legumes, agroforesty and building improved storage sheds.
Seed loans
	10. Museko club members gather to receive their seed as a form of loans. Each receive 10kg of maize, 5 kg of sorghum, 10 kg of groundnut and 5 kg of sunhemp.
	11. Museko club vice chairman writing down the farmers name who has received the seeds.
	12. Museko club members receiving groundnuts.
	13. Mr. Simpasa and Ms. Zukransharing ideas about efficiet seed loans and recovery. The key of success is to believe that the farmers will keep the promise to pay, having trust in them and building confidence between ICA and the farmers.
Field visits
	14. A club members maize field. Intense monitoring starts from the time seed is distributed to club members, through planting, weeding and harvesting.
	15. ICA agriculture expert, Mr. James Sinyangwe, visiting the field of Tusekelele club member, Mr. M. Mushitama. Monitoring and follow-up is a shared responsibility of ICA staff and club leadership.
	16. A club members beautiful field of maize. Since these are open pollinated and drought resistant varieties, seeds are collected for 3 seasons and have a high yield. This benefits farmers through less expenditure for purchased seeds.
Food throughout the year
	17. When the project started in 1995, Mr. Nyeleti, Tuchafwane club member, was only a poor fellow running out of food in early October. Now, he has food throughout the year and sells his surplus in order to send children to school and buy his family clothes.
	18. Mr. Gweru, Buseko club member, has decided to cut down on cotton production and expand his maize field. He is food secure all year round.
	19. Mr. Chiwala, Tuchafwane club member made his individual food storage, which can preserve food for the whole year. Since ICA has trained farmers to build these improved food storages out of using cement, 80 households in the community have built their own.
Crop diversification
	20. Farmers are trained to diversify from maize production. This is an open pollinated and drought resistant variety of sorghum. The advantage is that, if the farmers plant early, they can harvest twice from one crop.
	21. Drying sorghum. After drying, farmers pound and make mil-meal.
	22. Drying sorghum. After drying, farmers pound and make mil-meal.
Grow more food
	23. Buseko club member, intercropping maize with pumpkins. This helps to control pests, diseases and weeds, soil erosion and increase fertility of soil.
	24. ICA promotes crop rotation, including a legume crop. Mr. Malpande, Kashipa club member has planted a local variety of sugar beans after planting his maize.
	25. Farmers are encouraged to plant more food crops apart from maize. Ms. Muinga, Chibimbe club member, has planted sweet potatoes next to her maize field.
Promotion of leguminous crops
	26. After going through ICAs sustainable agriculture training, Mr. Mashimata, Tusekelele club member, plants groundnuts every year. When the nodules of the roots turn to purple, the plant is fixing nitrogen in the soil.
	27. Many club members plant sunhemp as a nitrogen fixing plant. After growth, sunhemp is ploughed back in the fields to improve soil structure and fertility.
	28. Mr. Shindaire, Chibote club member, collecting sunhemp seeds. Since there is a big difference when using sunhemp, farmers keep some to collect seeds for the next season.
	29. ICA promotes groundnuts as a food legume. Mr. Voice Vingo ( ICA agriculture expert ) giving advice to Mr. Sourceberry ( left ) , Buseko club member, who has decided to grow an early maturing variety of groundnuts.
	30. Ms. Nshinbi in her beautiful groundnut field. Groundnuts are rich in protein. Also they play a big role in crop rotation, improving soil structure an fertility - thus giving a good yield for the next food crop.
	31. Ms. Nyeleti, Tuchfwane club members field of groundnuts. Next season, she will plant maize on this land.
	32. Ms. Nyeleti, Tuchfwane club members field of groundnuts. Next season, she will plant maize on this land.
Agroforestry
	33. A 4 year old sesbania tree. Farmers are encouraged to plant leguminous trees in their fields to fix nitrogen in the soil, improve soil structure and fertility.
	34. A Molinga tree. Leaves are used for relish and feed for cattle, tubers for food and seeds are utilized to purify water.
	35. Cassia siamea trees. These are also a nitrogen fixing plant.
	36. Lemon trees. Fruit trees can be a surplus income to farmers.
Club activities
	37. Mutayowi Kulima club meeting. ICA has organized 36 clubs in Ipongo area. Club members gather weekly to share ideas and hopes which is totally a new experience for them.
	38. Many people doubted the possibility of people working in groups and making it. Buseko club has made a shift this year from producing 12 bags x 90 kg to 150 bags x 90 kg from 3 ha land.
	39. Chibimbe club field. Members have expanded their field from 50m x 50m to 100m x 100m, and are expecting 50 bags x 90 kg of maize. ICA is not just promoting sustainable agriculture. Its the human awareness of people coming together and working together.
	40. Mutayowi Kulima club members at their club storage shed. Members store maize, groundnuts and sorghum from their club field. By this, farmers have access to maize within the community, even in the lean months of Jan. - Feb.
	41. Club members are expecting a good yield this year. ICA has empowered farmers to develop themselves and the community.
General council
	42. Ipongo General Council members, discussing important development issues affecting Ipongo. Councils are an advisory body composing members of various clubs to share experiences of success and challenges, and trying to provide recommended solutions.
	43. Ipongo General Council is well trained in monitoring. Council chairman (left) and council secretary (right) display their monitoring tool - a map.
Grpwomg high value crops
	44. ICA, club members and CLUSA, an organization linking farmers to big companies, having a meeting on marketing.
	45. After harvest, CLUSA will link the harvested paplica to big companies. However, the risk for the farmers is that the price of paplica is determined by the international market.
	46. Mr. Malpande, Kashipa club member, has decided to plant paplica as a high value crop. ICA advises him to plant paplica and beans so that he benefits both additional income and soil fertility.
Other ICA activities
	47. A cattle credit scheme was introduced to assist farmers increase hectarage and overall yields. 12 % mortality rate has been maintained due to a sound routine annual health program.
	48. A farmer ploughing with a pair of oxen ( local breed ) and a plough loaned by ICA. In 3 years, farmers will pay back with 20 % interest to ICA - which totals to 909,000 ZK.
	49. 6 water wells have been constructed by club members in the community. Each water well serves just over 30 families ( 240 people ).
	50. Mr. Lukota, Kashipa club member in his cotton field. He said he is growing cotton as a part of crop rotation. Here farmers have no alternative but to sell their cotton to Ronlo - an multi-national company. Due to decline to Zambia Kwacha, Ronlo did not even pay the farmers last year.
	51. Mr. Malpande, Kashipa club member and ICA staff in his sunflower field. The oil which is made will be exchanged with maize. The residue, sunflower cake, is utilized as feed for cattle.
	52. A tobacco field. Some club members grow tobacco for natural crop protection. Together with soap, they make insecticide that acts against fungal and bacterial infections.
Change in the community
	53. Chibimbe club members gather every Monday to work in their club fields. Members say that If we did not enjoy working together, we could not have managed to do all this work. Now farmers know how to work together and how to be a good leader.
	54. Chief of the area presenting a trophy to Mr. Malman, Tweleshe club. This club has been chosen as the best club in Ipongo area achieving the best loan recovery, good cooperation between members, cleanness of area, good financial position and the number of bags of maize in the shed.
	55. A small shop run by a club member in Ipongo area. After going through ICA’s several trainings, the shopkeeper knows how to keep books, analyze finances and market his goods.
	56. Some farmers have started vegetable growing utilizing the Ipongo river. ICA has opened peoples minds and motivated people to uplift their lives.
	57. A symbol of change in Ipongo. These individual food storages keep food for the family throughout the year. Now, there is no food shortage at home. Farmers are food self sufficient and food secure.