Resilient Landscape and Agriculture

This development initiative is meant to address climate change, food crisis and poverty using integrated approaches and methodologies towards sustainable development impact. We are seeking for Funds and technical support to address the increasing shocks, threats and impact of climate change due to environmental degradations on the planet. This is mainly due to: over-exploitation of forest resources and encroachment of the protected areas as well as uncontrolled forest fires; extensive crop production practices especially through slash-and-burn agriculture; increased forest conversion for energy, especially charcoal and firewood, forest conversion for mining and infrastructural development, and unplanned land use that compromise forest integrity and biodiversity conservation. The aim is to restore and rehabilitate forest areas. The major activities will be promoting of sustainable agriculture, tree planting, natural regeneration, efficient biomass and solar energy, and promotion of enterprises to increase household incomes. To achieve this, there will be need for an enabling environment. 

Our development initiative has a broader program targeting environmental management in all kinds of food systems processes - from policy, development, investment, innovation, and farmer production. Zambia, despite being one of the most forested countries in Africa, it has been identified as one of the highest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting countries as a result of agricultural practices. Working in this context, our organization developed a strategies with reference to establish coordination mechanisms for climate change programmes. 

Our overall objectives highlight both mitigation and adaptation climate actions undertaken towards reducing its impact at local level targeting 30 000 poor households.     

Mission statement: To "increase domestic food production for urban markets to create decent jobs through supply value chains".

Vision: To become a center of excellence in promoting climate resilient and sustainable food systems for a food secure future.

Aim: Our aim is to offer a climate resilient interventions which cover systems dynamics approach on agriculture as well as skills and tools to design innovative, resilient and environmental sustainable food systems.

Values:  Our experts create this value by bringing knowledge into action. Every day we empower individuals, businesses, sectors and communities and strengthen them in their capacity for sustainable and inclusive development.

In order to ensure that resilient landscapes and sustainable are are achieved local communities and technical staff require training/ acquisition of tools and equipment to accomplish the following; building the skills and confidence of individuals and groups; enhancing community decision making and problem solving processes; creating a common vision for the future; implementing practical strategies for creating change; promoting inclusion and social justice; facilitating a sustainable investment environment; and enforcement of environment and social safeguards. 

We provide one of the actions needed to reduce deforestation and forest degradation by facilitating community-based land use planning to provide an opportunities for communities to set aside land for development and conservation. When land use planning is enforced with appropriate rules and regulations, communities are able to have productive lands while at the same time reduce deforestation and forest degradation. In addition, this process facilitates land registration, which is important in ensuring that user rights are strengthened. 

In order to ensure effective investment and reduced deforestation and forest degradation, awareness raising is also important component of the investment priorities to build a sense of responsibility and identify innovative actions needed to reduce deforestation. We focus on the resource available to improve people's livelihoods.  

Our development initiatives are towards results-oriented management approach, and sustainable development impact integrating core priorities drawn from managing climate change and addressing the food crisis situation which are climate led. We combine supportive programmes on capacity development, participatory mapping and strengthened community forest governance with two theme: conservation and management of high-value forest; and promotion of resilient landscapes, sustainable agriculture and energy. FCF is facilitating projects at three level grassroot/ 30 local communities situated in sub-regions/6 rural districts in three provinces (Southern, Western and Central) in Zambia. Our project supports conservation and management of forests as well as restoration through investment in needs of local communities which include building skills in food systems, functional local level management structures, ecotourism, general enterprises, good agricultural practices, markets and market linkages. The needs also include addressing energy biomass through appropriate supply and usage. The overall is to address underlying drivers of deforestation by providing alternatives in terms of good practices as well as sources of income. Our team recognizes that options to reduce deforestation and forest degradation include strengthening and enhancing management and governance of forests at the local level taking into account the different needs of men, women, youth and vulnerable populations. 

A youth-led organization, we are supporting agriculture innovations in rural areas to "increase domestic food production for urban markets". We facilitate social entrepreneurship training and mentorship, and distribute farming technologies in aquaculture, livestock and legumes production to equip rural households with modern farming tools which are viable and climate friendly.

Out thrive with commitment, hard work and perseverance into reforestation, this create jobs and economic opportunities for both us and poor communities. We partnered with young unemployed graduates to create new business ideas that leverage technology for social impact
from young entrepreneurs across Zambia. Apart from implementing our own programs, the Future Community Foundation also partners with other
stakeholders to help reach poor communities with poverty reducing initiatives.  For example, we have designed an analytical framework to guide grassroots poverty reduction projects to achieve equity in Zambia's rural communities, including opening opportunities for human capital development and market access. We ensure that our framework challenges the status quo, and promotes gender equality and climate-friendly solutions. Through this framework, we were selected to support a Government livestock and fisheries income generating initiative, that is co-financed by DFID and IFAD.

As the intended beneficiaries are poor rural farmers who are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change (droughts) and variability, local communities needs influence the conception, design, implementation, and review, of development interventions outlined in this project. Current situation, there is significant poverty in rural Zambia. Forest, agriculture, and wildlife resources are not well managed, as a result, deforestation is going on with major causes being; poor agriculture practices, charcoal production, unsustainable extraction of wood, untapped alternatives livelihood options, poor market access by farmers, and inadequate community participation. We are promoting climate smart agriculture, improved biodiversity/wildlife management.  

The Future Community Foundation aims to create new business ideas that leverage technology for social impact from young entrepreneurs across Zambia.  We have more than three years of experience working with the team carrying out voluntary surveys by visiting smallholders in rural areas to examine challenges and alternative solutions. Our recommendations highly point to investing in three sectors Livestock, Agro-processing, and ICT to add value to rural products through forwarding and backward linkages. These economic sectors will create rural and urban jobs and generate structural transformation, leverage, and harness urban demand for domestic sector growth. The three sectors we have selected to integrate are all aligned with Zambia’s development agenda, to strengthening the agriculture supply value chain, ICT is also linked to strengthening forward and backward linkages along with the agriculture and agribusiness social networks, digital marketing, and value additions. 

Our development initiatives are towards results-oriented management approach, and sustainable development impact integrating core priorities drawn from managing climate change and addressing the food crisis situation which are climate led. We combine supportive programmes on capacity development, participatory mapping and strengthened community forest governance with two theme: conservation and management of high-value forest; and promotion of resilient landscapes, sustainable agriculture and energy. FCF is facilitating projects at three level grassroot/ 30 local communities situated in sub-regions/6 rural districts in three provinces (Southern, Western and Central) in Zambia. Our project supports conservation and management of forests as well as restoration through investment in needs of local communities which include building skills in food systems, functional local level management structures, ecotourism, general enterprises, good agricultural practices, markets and market linkages. The needs also include addressing energy biomass through appropriate supply and usage. The overall is to address underlying drivers of deforestation by providing alternatives in terms of good practices as well as sources of income. Our team recognizes that options to reduce deforestation and forest degradation include strengthening and enhancing management and governance of forests at the local level taking into account the different needs of men, women, youth and vulnerable populations.

FCF with support from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Solveand Enhanced Smallholder Livestock Investment Programme will, in
this proposed partnership: Identify mobilize 100 000 beneficiary youth households with 60% being female, 40% male households that are vulnerable but viable in the ten provinces with special interest and consideration for differently abled persons; Facilitate training (social inclusion, financial literacy, cultural mindset change, planning, livestock management; and adoption of technological advancements in livestock development and disease control) of youth beneficiary households and
district Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock field extension staff in target areas; 

The development has become increasingly complex. Many of the issues that we face, such as COVID-19, poverty, food insecurities and malnutrition, and climate change call for partnerships to address these sustainable development challenges. Forests are estimated to provide at least 1.4 million jobs, supporting 60% of rural Zambian households that are heavily dependent upon the use of natural resources to supplement or sustain their livelihoods, leading to the Gross Domestic Product contribution of 6.3 percent. Forest resources contribute approximately to household incomes including the market value of subsistence production. The Future Community Foundation prepared its overall vision of reducing rural poverty and improving livelihoods, as laid out in the Sustainable Development Goals. Implementation of our projects focuses on tackling different drivers of deforestation in both the forestry and other identified key sectors, in particular, agriculture, energy, mining and land use, through a landscape approach at watershed level and through policy reforms at national level.

In a view of urban agri-business and variability distribution of the quality poultry inputs is the solution towards youth empowerment, poverty reduction and gender equality. However, this project will achieve this aim by taking a value chain approach, addressing risks posed across key stages of the value chain – planning, inputs, production and post-production. The very high co-finance ensures that this project will shift general public mindsets onto agriculture towards urban resilient agriculture through strong partnership with lower middle-income people and super markets.

Grant requested will only finance the activities that have a clear climate change conditionality like climate information and early warning systems, access to water for smallholder farmers and linkages with rural agricultural markets. To supply poultry input to farm groups, engage maize and soy beans producers to supply feed, to collaborate with supermarkets corporate buyers to provide market opportunities. The agriculture sector is a real catalyst for low-income people to lift themselves out of poverty through new innovations to expand markets and job opportunities, increased income, and access to basic goods and services. Simultaneously low- income markets represent a large business opportunity.

Poultry Business can work as a catalyst for low-income people to have access to significant tools and equipment for use in the agriculture sector. We have a number of potential partners including but not limited to the following; input supply producers, sector associations and corporate buyers
(processors, food service industry, supermarkets).  

This program is facilitated by passionate 5 fulltime and 10 part-time entrepreneurs who can distribute proven poverty interventions to the vulnerable groups through business ideas.  A youth-led organization, we are passionate entrepreneurs, development practitioners, researchers, as well as graduates with shared experiences from various professional backgrounds.

We believe youths, women, and disabled groups are part of the stakeholders in your outlined interventions. Our team would play a key role in fields of stakeholder and situation analysis, next-gen focused, investment-readiness training, skill-building in areas like financial literacy, systems thinking, impact measurement, and coalition-building. We know these are all super-critical for success in the market, and for making the true change and transformation to"develop livestock spatial system and human settlements adopting and the implementing integrated Enhanced Smallholder Livestock Investment Program towards inclusion, income-generating, resource efficiency, rural to urban mitigation control, and adaptation to climate change and resilience to disasters". 

We have more than three years of experience working with the team carrying out voluntary surveys by visiting smallholders in rural areas to examine challenges and alternative solutions. Our recommendations highly point to investing in three sectors Livestock, Agro-processing, and ICT to add value to rural products through forwarding and backward linkages. The three sectors we have selected to integrate are all aligned with Zambia’s development agenda, to strengthening the agriculture supply value chain, ICT is also linked to strengthening forward and backward linkages along with the agriculture and agribusiness social networks, digital marketing, and value additions. Also, we designed a food system approach that promotes sustainable diversification within the agriculture value chain. Making output from one crop/animal be used as input into another crop/animal, If it can be processed before use as input that is great for the value chain.

Clinton is a reliable social and economic policy analyst, and a well-rounded programme coordinator with more than six years of experience demonstrating leadership skills to provide a vehicle for engaging with youth led and youth serving organizations, international development agencies, governments institutions, other stakeholders and systems to generate agricultural value chains and cross-sectoral market opportunities. He has achieved positive youth development outcomes in public and private institutions through empowerment and entrepreneurship programs especially in the area of promoting the positive roles of women and youth in peacebuilding through new and innovative approaches, to ensure social inclusion and tackle the rising challenges of unemployment, poverty, climate change and inequalities in the society/Zambia.

The Future Community Foundation supports agriculture innovations in rural area to "increase domestic food production for urban markets". This organization facilitate social entrepreneurship trainings and mentorship to distribute farming technologies and building skills in aquaculture, livestock and legumes production to equip rural households with modern farming tools which are viable and climate friendly.

Developing approaches, startups and local initiatives from young green entrepreneurs, women and indigenous communities carrying knowledge (traditional and modern), new ideas and offering initiatives and innovative indigenous, technological services, solutions to improve Zambia resilience to the challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequalities to contribute to the promotion of environmental Justice and livestock farming.
Establishing flexibility initiatives to collaborate with youth and their communities, public institutions sectors and systems (including higher education institutions, private sector, youth-led and youth-serving
organizations) to build sustainable partnerships around key development challenges and opportunities.