Stakeholders in Solwezi have called on the need to strengthen advocacy and sensitization on land acquisition to secure grazing and farming land for local peasant farmers.
In a communiqué after an information sharing meeting jointly organized by Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) and Kansanshi Foundation, the stakeholders stated that this is because most farmers are unable to have secured land for their farming activities.
They revealed that with the boom in economic activities in the district, most farmers have been displaced from their indigenous farm lands.
“This therefore calls for the need for us civil society organizations to strengthen our advocacy and sensitization on the matter at hand,” read the communiqué.
They also emphasized the need to lobby government to expedite the process of land tenure security through titling to enhance investment in agriculture.
They said this will enable farmers in this society have access to land for farming purposes as most farmers are failing to invest due to lack of land security.
Meanwhile, the stakeholders have called on the need to capacity build farmers in order for them to meet business demand.
They stated that this can be done through empowering them in order for them to graduate from peasant to commercial farmers.
They have further called on the need to explore the initiative of marketing boards in order to enhance the purchase of local produce so that farmers have market within their vicinity.
“However, our farmers also need to go beyond the local market and be able to sustain themselves with a view to even trade at markets beyond the border such as those in both Congo and Angola,” the communiqué. further reads.
They have however recognized efforts made by Kansanshi mine through the Kansanshi Foundation in the last 10 years in the agricultural sector, by way of training over 40,000 farmers with 7,000 of them being supported through the provision of agricultural inputs and technical support.
The stakeholders include; Extractive Industry Transparency Alliance, NGOCC, Solwezi Action Aid Zambia, Solwezi
Zambia Land Alliance, Solwezi Youth Alliance for Development, North Western Chamber of Commerce, Solwezi Municipal Council, District Agriculture of Office, Solwezi, North West Press Club
Young Women Christian Association and
Kansanshi Community Foundation respectively.
