Zambia: The Centre for International Forestry Research and International Centre for Research in AgroForestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) organized food fairs in some of the chiefdoms of Mpika District. The events were organized in collaboration with the Government and Community Market for Conservation (COMACO).
The aim of the food fair was to promote healthy diets and combat food insecurity at household level. The Chief Mukungule of the Bisa people in Mpika District in Muchinga Province has highlighted the importance of locally grown food.
The people of the country, in its various provinces have been affected by the food crisis and hunger situation. The leader has asked the people in his chiefdom to lean towards indigenous foods grown in the community.
This will help them in achieving nutritional security across households in the chiefdom. The traditional leader made these remarks while he during a food fair organized by the CIFOR-ICRAF and COMACO.
The remarks were made by the representative who was attending on the behalf of the traditional leader.
Chief Mukungule was delighted to see that his chiefdom Mukungule was selected to start the incentive based agricultural portfolio for nutrition and resilience in Zambia. He said this makes the chiefdom like a pioneer of the project
The leader was delighted that the people of he country will learn about the production and protection of the fruit trees
Meanwhile, CIFOR – ICRAF Communications Officer Lydia Amanzi says the organization has held food fairs in Mpika District to promote healthy diets and combat food insecurity among residents in selected chiefdoms of the district.
Amanzi said the project is being implemented with support from the German Federal, Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development commissioned by GIZ and funding through the International Agriculture Research.
The organizations want to make sure that all the communities in Zambia have all year-round access to nutritious food and diverse income opportunities.
The CIFOR – ICRAF Communications Officer Lydia Amanzi believes it will help in improving household dietary diversity, which is a major mandate for food security in Zambia. The project is currently active in two chiefdoms of Muchinga Province, Mukungule and Chikanda Chiefdom.