Farm Talk Radio Educates Farmers in Zambia

One of the many reasons we love working with COMACO is their commitment to developing women – as farmers, but also as cooperative leaders. Today, slightly more than half of all farmer cooperatives in the COMACO network are women. Given the strong patriarchy that exists in Eastern Zambia, this would have been unthinkable even ten years ago.

COMACO field staff learned early on that when women are included in farmer trainings, those households do better. Cooperative leaders are also listener group leaders who use our Prime radios and Lifeplayer MP3 units. This means that women receive equal access to the same conservation farming practices that men receive through weekly Farm Talk broadcasts. And now, half of the listener group leaders, who facilitate discussions amongst cooperative leader are women.

The Eastern Province and in the Luangwa Valley have been plagued by food shortages and high rates of malnutrition amongst among women and children for decades. Numerous studies prove that malnourishment not only stunts growth, but also limits brain development, school performance and decreases earning potential later in life.

Women weren’t getting enough of the right foods and as a result, children were stunted. According to the National Food and Nutrition Commission, up to 40% of children in the Eastern Province were stunted. These were some of the highest rates in Africa.

How COMACO addressed malnutrition Initially, COMACO staff provided vegetable seeds to women in cooperatives and held small trainings in organic gardening. In no time, women were growing a variety of foods that greatly increased the nutrition of their households and enabled them to sell the surplus. As women began to contribute substantial income to their households, they started taking on more responsibility for larger crops as well.

In addition, COMACO’s energy-efficient cookstoves, with fuel harvested from the fast growing Gliricidia trees that are central to conservation farming. This greatly reduced the burden on women who used to walk hours to collect firewood each day.

Further, COMACO is now running 182 village women’s savings and loans groups teaching small-business skills and supporting women in their entrepreneurial ventures. And to help them, business content is loaded onto our Lifeplayer MP3 units enabling women to listen when convenient for them. As a result of these integrated efforts, the women and children of COMACO families are half as likely to be underweight than their non-COMACO neighbours.

Please help us to continue to support COMACO’s amazing efforts for women and children – at scale – in Eastern Zambia. COMACO is expanding and our Lifeplayer units and Prime radios are needed as much as ever!