Agro-ecological Food Production System

The project aims at improving the food availability and accessibility of refugees in 3 different refugee camps of Zambia; Maheba, Mayukwayukwa, and Mantapala by increasing food diversity through agro-ecology. Despite refugees being given food by the World Food Program (WFP), the rational are little and there is no variety as they are just Meali meal, beans, cooking oil, Soya porridge and salt.

According to nutritionists, a human being must have a balanced diet which should comprise of different food staffs from different food groups. This project will aim at improving the situation through promoting different types of vegetables (local and exotic). 

Action Africa Help International Zambia (AAH) works with UNHCR and WFP to distribute food to refugees in all the 3 refugee camps. Despite the refugees receiving food from UNHCR and WFP through AAH, the quantity and variety are less as they are considered as supplement. Zambia hosts over 50,000 refugees of different age and all of the them are affected by food shortage. The major problem is that refugees are entirely dependent on donor aid and food production is very low among themselves, to a greater extent, this has also affected the hosting communities in all the areas.

Food accessibility and availability has been a challenge in all refugee camps and the host communities, this is because of higher population number within a small area. Refugees do not have access to agricultural loans or government agricultural support, this makes it difficult to engage in agro production despite having land.

The solution is focusing on making refugees to start producing organic vegetables which they will be consuming and selling to other refugees and host communities. An irrigation system will be installed in the 3 refugee camps, and cooperatives/ associations will be formed through which activities will be implemented. The refugees will also be empowered by agricultural inputs and tool of production. The solution will promote agro-ecological farming system so as to reduce the cost of production and protect the environment. Beneficiaries will be trained in agro-ecology, organic vegetable production and governance. An element of savings group will also be added.

The solution will increase food accessibility and availability hence improving food, nutrition, and income security among refugees. The technology to be employed is the use of treadle pumps and organic farming. Organic principles will be followed to produce vegetables. 

The project will target refugees, 100 from each camp of which 60% will be women and 40% youths. Refugees has limited access to goods and services hence it is difficult for them to earn an income, worse more they are even isolated in the outskirts of towns. This has made it difficult for them to access other forms of food apart from that which they are given.The solution will improve food, income and nutritional security of the beneficiaries. AAH is basing the urgency of the need on the vulnerability assessment conducted by Care International in all the camps.

Action Africa Help is a major distributor of both food and none food staffs in all the three refugee camps on behalf of WFP. It is from this background that AAH has assessed the need to improve food availability and accessibility 

Refugees are normally vulnerable people with limited access to goods and services, employment and business opportunities for them to earn an income and buy food and other necessary commodities to improve the food diversification. This is a great opportunity to implement a project on improving food, nutritional and income security through organic vegetable production among refugees and host communities. 

The innovation of this solution is that farmers will will be producing healthy food at a low cost of production with very minimal impacts to the environment, and also refugees will start savings group in the form of village banking. Village banking will help beneficiaries save money, and women will not be financially dependent on male folks.

The key component of technology in this project will be agro-ecology which is environmental friendly, economically viable, and socially just farming system. This farming system uses the farm locally available inputs lowering the cost of production, and does not pollute the environment.

This farming system has been used worldwide, and locally Kasisi Agricultural Training Center has been promoting this farming system since 1995. Further information: www.katczm.org

The problem of low food diversity is caused by less variety of food being supplied by the donor will be solved by engaging refugees in vegetable production and savings group model. The problem will curb the problem through improving food, nutrition and income security.

AAH is currently working with over 50,000 refugees in Zambia and the project will direct benefit 600 refugees and over 50,000 indirectly (other refugees and hosting community members)

The goal for AAH include: 1. Efficient and effective humanitarian logistics 2. Resilience building for communities 3. Promote environmental sustainability and health capacity support and coordination. All these will be achieved through donor aid and organisation capabilities

Some of the barriers AAH is facing to accomplish its goals include:

1. Unstable income inflow

2. Strenuous government bureaucracy

Unstable income inflow will be overcome by other donor resource mobilization through donor proposal writing. AAH will strengthen its ties with the government.

Full time: 4

Part-time: 5

Contract: 0

Others: 0

This is because AAH has multidisciplinary team with different background and experience. This include: agriculture, social work, project management, natural resource management, finance, fleet management and logistic, gender, nutrition, and psychiatrists

Currently, AAH Zambia is working in collaboration with United Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), World Food Program (WFP), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Government ministries and agencies, and USAID

The model aims at empowering refugees with agricultural knowledge and skills in agro-ecology which they will use for the rest of their lives. The same knowledge will be used to produce organic vegetables for the purpose of selling and consuming in turn improving the food,nutrition and income security among them. Apart from agricultural knowledge, beneficiaries will be trained in Savings group and will implement it in groups. The Savings Groups will still be under the cooperative that will be formed. This project will improve refugees' food availability, accessibility, and sovereignty since the amount of food they receive from UNHCR and WFP is not enough

AAH is applying to solve because it wants to meet the second Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger. With its limited resources and donor aid, the amount of food being distributed to refugees is not adequate. AAH wishes to use grant to address the food deficit among refugees

As stated in the challenges' section, AAH is doing a lot in terms of bettering the lives of refugees. The only challenge in meeting its targets is that of inadequate financial support

Any organisation that deals in humanitarian; health, agriculture and environment

AAH International Zambia qualifies because it has been working with refugees since 2001 in humanitarian sector to improve their social and economical status, and promoting refugee resilience, self-reliance and integration.

In all the refugee camps, AAH has been a major promoter of child and women protection. It has conducted a number of trainings to both refugees and staff. the institution has a child protection policy, and gender and diversity policy which protects children and women respectively. Apart from policies, AAH has also implemented a number of project in line with Maternal & Newborn Health, Learning for Girls & Women, and Sustainable Food Systems Challenges with refugees and host communities