CCARDESA’s impact on coordination of regional cooperation in agricultural research and development in the SADC Region
By Watson Zulu (NAIS Zambia)
The Center for Coordination of Regional Corporations in Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) is a SADC subsidiary created by 14 member states in 2010 to coordinate Regional Cooperation in Agricultural Research and Development (courtesy of CCARDESA website)
In Zambia, according to Dorcas Kabuya, (Senior Reporter of the National Agricultural Research Service, who is also ICKM CCARDESA Focal Point Person in Zambia), CCARDESA through Agricultural Productivity Programs for Southern Africa (APPSA) and funding from the World Bank was supported in Zambia’s Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI) to embark on infrastructure uplift by establishing irrigation facilities at the Research sites to mitigate the effects of water shortages during the dry season.
The irrigation facilities included boreholes, water reservoirs, irrigation pipes and other irrigation facilities to help research stations to continuously carry out research trials in situations of erratic rainfall.
Ms Kabuya further stated that APPSA also facilitated the fencing of Research Fields at Kabule, Nanga, Msekera and Mochipanga Research Stations. The erection of fences was to ensure the mitigation of encroachments and to reduce thefts which in turn would inevitably improve the quality of Research Activities to a lesser or greater extent.
In another development, Ms Kabuya said researchers under ZARI have been able to develop and release improved seed varieties in legumes, maize and rice through APPSA’s support. In terms of `capacity buildings, she confidently orated that there are also researchers in extension experts from within the ministry of Agriculture who have been trained at Diploma, Bachelor of Degree, Masters and PhD levels.
Meanwhile, Mr Jones Malama (who is Communications Focal Point person under Zambia Agriculture of Research Institute- ZARI), said that CCARDESA institution through APPSA also coordinated a Bio-Diversity Community Network (BCN) project in Zambia. This project promoted landrace crops and varieties that are drought tolerant and resistant to common pests and diseases, which also survive in the heat environment and leaf stress of the Zambezi- Gwembe valley and the Luangwa valley. The crops that were focused on were sorghum, pearl millet, cowpeas, Bambaranit, Cassava and sweet potatoes.
Mr Malama also said that ZARI has through the APPSA project procured state of the art laboratory equipment which has been installed in the rehabilitated laboratories to take the service closer to the farmers –NAIS.
The author for this article works as a District Agricultural Information officer for National Agricultural Information Service (NAIS) in Itezhi-Tezhi District in Zambia.
