Distribution of 2007 FSP-Wetland Cropping UnitJDP comes to the rescue.

At the beginning of 2007, the rainy season was characterized by heavy rainfall that resulted into flash floods and water logging in valleys and low lying areas respectively causing varying impacts on the Agriculture sector.

When the DMMU completed the assessment in 41 districts on the effects of floods, it was reported that about 12,050 households in 14 affected districts needed support with inputs for winter cropping to supplement expected harvest from 2006/07 production.

The government through the Food Security Pack (FSP) responded by mobilizing resources to assist the affected households by floods and those that were vulnerable but viable farmers in non-flood affected areas with the wetland-cropping project in 2007.

The Food Security Pack is part of the social protection strategy that the government has adopted through the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (MCDSS) to enable low capacity or vulnerable but viable farming households achieve food security and self-sustenance. The FSP is designed to assist the vulnerable households that cannot afford to procure their own inputs. In this aspect the FSP targets the following social groups;

• Child headed households
• Female headed households
• People with disabilities
• Unemployed youths
• Terminally ill citizens
• Victims of natural disasters
• Institutions looking after orphans

The wetland or off season cropping is one of the FSP programmes done in flood plains, swamps and dambo areas or along the river banks that have residual moisture or water for irrigation. The wetland cropping season is important because it allows vulnerable households who live in close proximity to the wetlands to produce additional food to cover deficits in the usual lean months of December to March.

This programme also targets areas that are not accessible in the rainy season making the programme an appropriate intervention for such areas. This project is welcome because it will assist vulnerable groups to produce their own food as compared to giving them relief food. This approach is less costly, more sustainable and gives the beneficiaries a sense of self esteem and dignity.

This year’s project is targeting the areas that were affected by floods and also areas that had partial droughts in Southern parts of the country. As indicated in the DMMU report about 12,050 households in flood affected areas and not less than 100,000 households in partial drought were made food insecure country wide. Therefore, this year’s input distribution for the wetlands cropping will assist 7,600 vulnerable households in 42 districts. The exact quantities that have been distributed to the 42 districts are as follows;

1. 40 metric tonnes (MT) of maize seed
2. 26.88MT of legume seed
3. 380 MT of Fertilizer

The benefiting households are expected to produce a total of 6,637 MT of food at a cost of K500, 000,000.

The official flag off ceremony for the distribution of the wetlands inputs was on 13^th July 2007. The Minister for Community Development and Social Services, Honorable MP Catherine Namugala officially flagged off the distribution. The ceremony was held at Buyantanshi ZAMSEED sheds in Lusaka.

Honorable MP Catherine Namugala flagging off the wetland Cropping Input Distribution

This programme is purely dependant on public funds. Therefore, the effective implementation of this programme is not dependant on central government alone but on all concerned stakeholders. The FSP management is a decentralized management system. Below are the different levels of the structures that participate in the programme.

1. The Government sources for funds to buy the inputs.
2. National Technical Committee/ PAM receives the resources and coordinates the programme
3. Provincial Technical committees; comprises the civil society and government institutions to coordinate and monitor the programme.
4. District Technical Committee; comprises the civil society and government institutions to provide capacity building activities to the groups/farmers, coordinate and monitor the programme.
5. Community Satellites Committees implement and monitor the activities

This hierarchy demonstrates that the success of this programme depends on community involvement. This involvement will safeguard the programme from those self individuals hijacking the inputs for their own good and depriving the vulnerable from benefiting. The involvement will also help the programme realize its results.

Once serious challenge that this programme faces is the selection criteria for beneficiaries. In some instances the criteria of targeting the most vulnerable in the community is not well adhered to as some executives of the Community Satellites Committees, who seemingly are not very vulnerable, become the first beneficiaries of the programme. This leaves the most vulnerable out the programme.

This compromised situation usually arises from lack of serious follow up by the district committees to ensure that only right beneficiaries are chosen by providing guidelines on selection to the satellites.

Therefore, our role as the Church in this programme is to actively get involved at all levels so that the public resources are used for the intended purpose, to uplift the life of the most vulnerable in communities.