Zambie

In 2023, Zambia faced a complex humanitarian situation marked by challenges such as malnutrition, food insecurity, and inadequate access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services.

Climate change has caused the country to experience more extreme weather events including intense rainfall, floods, and droughts, coupled with elevated temperatures, which have major impacts on agriculture, water resources, human health, biodiversity, energy, and infrastructure.

Two million people in Zambia are expected to face crisis or worse levels of hunger in 2024. Food insecurity is primarily driven by high poverty rates, economic instability, and shocks and hazards such as prolonged dry spells, pests, and diseases.

Amidst these challenges, Action Against Hunger successfully launched new programmes in 2023 to address the root causes of poverty, hunger, and biodiversity loss. Our multifaceted approach reflects our commitment to sustainable impact and collaboration with local partners, including the Ministry of Agriculture and Zambia- based NGOs.

In 2023, we supported local organisations to build their capacity to better manage water sources and irrigations systems and prepare for disasters. We also worked to help farmers implement climate-smart strategies to improve the moisture and fertility of soil, leading to better harvests despite repeated droughts.

In the Western Province, Action Against Hunger is building a climate-smart network that will help farmers grow drought- resistant crops like cowpeas (also known as black-eyed peas). In 2023, we partnered with the University of Zambia and the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute to understand the cowpea value chain, the nutritional composition of cowpeas, nitrogen rates in soil, and microbial biomass calculations. A nutrient-dense legume, cowpeas are full of essential vitamins such as iron and potassium, and they provide numerous health benefits such as reducing the risk of heart disease.

In Zambia, and many parts of the world, women typically eat last and least, and many experience violence or abuse at home. Zambia has some of the highest levels of gender-based violence reported in the world, with over 42 per cent experiencing physical or sexual violence from their partner in their life, and over 25 per cent experiencing the same in the last year alone.

Last year, we discussed peer-based women’s support groups as a safe space for women to discuss gender inequity at home and gender- based violence.