THE National Smallholders Association Farmers (NSAFA) has appealed to the government to create more targeted agriculture programmes for women, citing low participation rates in existing initiatives like the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) and Smallholder Agricultural Framework Agreement (SAFA).

NSAFA Executive Director, Frank Kayula, has alleged that women’s limited involvement in some of the empowerment initiatives in agriculture stems from lengthy application processes. 

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today, Dr Kayula said women farmers are the backbone of Zambia’s agriculture sector, accounting for over 65% of agricultural labour.

Dr Kayula advocated for specialised programmes within existing agricultural projects, highlighting women’s loyalty, dedication, and productivity. 

“Empowering women in agriculture boosts productivity, increases income generation and helps improve livelihoods at family level,” he said.

He further noted that when the government thrives, the private sector would also perform better, hence the cost of food such as mealie meal would be affordable.