A want to be a Commercial Farmer – Mwiinga Nzala
My name is Mwiinga Nzala, a third year Engineering student at the Natural Resources Development College (NRDC) in Lusaka. I had an opportunity to do my industrial attachments at the Zambia -German Agricultural knowledge & Training Centre (AKTC) in Chisamba. During my attachments at AKTC, I got exposed to real commercial farming & got to learn how to pursue farming as a business. I come from a family that practices subsistence farming, producing only enough for consumption. I have always wanted to go into agribusiness and become a commercial farmer, that's the main reason I chose to study Agriculture Engineering.
USE OF SMART PHONES IN AGRICULTURE
The use of Information and communication technology (ICTs) has rapidly spread in various production and industrial sectors leading to improved production of goods and services and agriculture is no exception. However, the adoption of ICTs in agriculture is currently far from saturation as most farmers in rural Africa, in particular Zambia are still finding challenges in accessing and using these technologies. As a result, many farmers are missing out on various benefits associated with modern ICTs in agriculture. One research study suggests that “Access to information through mobile phones and mobile internet can also help agriculturalists manage risk and
Climate Adapted Farming Methods (CAFM)
Climate Adapted Farming Methods in Zambia: Improving CA performance through appropriate mechanization Are small-scale and emergent farmers able to practise mechanized conservation agriculture in Zambia? The mechanized conservation agriculture (MCA) on-farm experiment at the Zambian-German Agricultural Knowledge and Training Centre, situated at the Golden Valley Agricultural Research Trust (GART) is the surest answer. Everybody in Zambia concurs with the reality of climate change since the impacts are visible across the entire nation. Small and medium-scale farmers who entirely rely on rainfed agriculture for both crops and animals’ production are the most affected. In the recent past, the unpredicted rainfall patterns
AKTC TRAINS MUMBWA TRACTOR SERVICE PROVIDERS (TSP’s) IN PROFESSIONAL CROP PROTECTION APPLICATION
Tractor service provision is a common agribusiness adopted by a number of emergent farmers in Zambia. In order to support such a venture, the Zambian-German Agricultural Knowledge and Training Centre (AKTC) in collaboration with one of its private sector partners, BAYER AG, embarked on a training programme known as Professional Crop Protection Application (PCPA). The PCPA programme seeks to equip farmers (tractor service providers) with knowledge and skills related to chemical handling and application, boom sprayer calibration, GPS use in Agriculture and many more others. The first PCPA training was conducted in November 2020 with the trainees coming from
AKTC 2021 COVER CROP FIELD DAY
02nd March 2021 The Zambian-German Agricultural Knowledge and Training Centre (AKTC) is a project involved in the promotion of modern sustainable farming practices, among emergent and commercial farmers in Zambia. To achieve this, AKTC undertakes crop trials in soya bean, potato, maize and cover crop production. AKTC is currently undertaking some field trials on the role of cover crops in maintaining a healthy soil structure for sustainable crop production. To showcase and share the experience and knowledge from these field trails, AKTC regularly organises Field days and trainings for its target groups. On the second of March 2021, AKTC hosted