Ndola (Zambia)

Submitted by Takawira Mubvami on Fri, 11/19/2010 - 11:34

Date of RUAF intervention: 2005-ongoing

Introduction | UA in Ndola | MPAP Process | FSTT | Products | Contact

INTRODUCTION: CITY CONTEXT

Ndola is the third largest city of Zambia as well as the provincial headquarters of the Copperbelt Province. Ndola is on the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Most of Ndola district is urban and peri-urban. It covers 110,300 hectares (most of which is under forest reserve) with a population of 374,757 (As per 2000 census).

Ndola suffered population decline due to the closure of copper mines around 2004. Population is estimated to be 490,000 by 2015. During the slave trade era, Ndola was a slave trading post and was declared a Village Management Board in 1920, a Municipality in 1932 before attaining City status in 1967. 

The strategic location of Ndola during the booming copper mining era of the 1960s and 70s, quickly established the city as the country’s leading commercial, industrial and distributive center. Attributed mainly to the Government’s economic liberalization and privatization policies of the 1990s, Ndola experienced a period of economic slump, however currently the economy is gradually coming up and this is evidenced by a number of business houses which are opening up.

The main economic characteristics of the city include the following:

  • Liberalization of the Economy in the late 80s
  • Many industries in Ndola closed
  • High unemployment levels
  • Increased poverty levels
  • Households to meet own economic needs (less government subsidies)

URBAN AGRICULTURE IN NDOLA

Although not properly developed and coordinated, urban agriculture is widely practiced in Ndola. The location of these farming activities is mainly in back yards, forest reserves, along main road tracks, along streams and river banks, on rented plots and small holdings. Mainly the farming carried out involves among other things, the growing of vegetables, pumpkins, maize, beans, groundnuts and sugar canes etc. Most of these crops are grown in open spaces and in the peri-urban area around Ndola. There is institutional urban agriculture, largely practiced at schools, churches, prison grounds and police grounds. There is also community urban agriculture practiced in some of the open spaces. Backyard urban agriculture is also practiced on the plots and is characterized by the production of various vegetables and poultry products. Large livestock like cattle is noticeable by its absence in the city.

Prison farm in Ndola; Rabbits, chickens and ducks in a backyard

MPAP PROCESS

A core team was put in place with members drawn from Ministry of Agriculture, Ndola City Council, Community Services, Ndola Nutrition Group, Catholic Diocese, Care Zambia and Ministry of Lands. The team is responsible for implementing activities in the city.

Meeting farmers in Chipulukusu

  They recommended the following:

  • Coming up with a UA policy for Ndola. Participants felt that the existing policy framework did not facilitate the development of UA. It was agreed that there was need to visit this area and develop a policy in view of the experiences in other cities as discussed at the workshop.
  • Institutional aspects – the workshop agreed that there is need to review the existing council set up and identify a department that would best coordinate UA activities in the city. It was agreed that it would be necessary to form a working team (steering committee) which will ensure smooth establishment facilitation and implementation of  urban agriculture.


Working group during the ToT


An MPAP workshop was held to prepare stakeholders and the core team for conducting the Situation Analysis and the Launch of the Stakeholder Forum. Following the MPAP training, working groups were established for the situation analysis.

The launch of the multi-stakeholder forum took place in November 2008. 32 people drawn from various organizations in Ndola attended the launch. These included Zambia Electricity Supply Company (ZESCO), Heifer International, Zambia National Farmers Union, Central Statistical Office, Kafubu water, Twapia, Chifubu Projects, Panner Seeds, Ministry of Education, District Health and NDCU. Other participants included representatives from organizations who had been attending UA activities before – Ministry of Agriculture, Social Welfare, Care International, Rainbow, Departments of City Council, Lands, Ndola Nutrition, and Catholic Diocese.

Under CFF, the city developed a UA policy and a UA Strategic Agenda for the city. Several stakeholders were capacitated in various aspects of UA under CFF. Currently Ndola City Council is facilitating the MSF activities. Meetings have been held to upraise the MSF on progress in implementing the innovation project under FStT. At the same time the MSF has reviewed the City Strategic Agenda developed under the CFF programme with a view to upgrading it and ensuring that other stakeholders buy into the agenda. A policy document on urban agriculture has been approved by the City Council management committee and is awaiting formal adoption by the full Council.

FROM SEED TO TABLE (FSTT)

The Ministry of Agriculture is the leading organization for the FStT innovation project. They have been trained in various aspects of the FStT project and formed a local team comprising of two other officers from the Ministry and four farmer representatives from the project area of Chipulukusu. The diagnosis phase identified a new variety of tomatoes as the most promising option (MOPO) for marketing purposes following a rigorous market analysis process that involved the farmers. A business plan has been developed and the local team is now working on the urban producer field schools and the project proposal for the tomato project.

Mr Musonda is an urban producer and member of the local project team working with urban tomato farmers in Ndola (Zambia):
“The FStT project is well conceptualised project. The capacity building element in the diagnosis phase helped me to learn about various issues some of which include market analysis and the importance of understanding the potential client relation to the product that one intends to sell. The implementation phase has also enlightened me regarding the working as a group, discussions and how to manage a public discussion. The other issue I have is the capacity in terms of farming inputs. One needs to plan well in time of the actual commencement of the production cycle. The nursery program was well coupled with the urban producer field school in which farmer-to-farmer learning was the key element. Unfortunately, our first cycle of producing well packed and graded tomatoes did not go well as the production was poor due to heavy rains and flooding. However this has also been a lesson to me and we will integrate water management in our next training cycle”.

PRODUCTS

CONTACT

Regional Coordination of the RUAF Cities Farming for the Future Programme
MDPESA (Municipal Development Partnership Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office)
M 7th Floor, Hurudza House
14-16 Nelson Mandela Avenue, Harare, Zimbabwe
P 263-4-774385
F 263-4-774387
Regional coordinator: Mr. Takawira Mubvami
E tmubvami@mdpafrica.org.zw
W www.mdpafrica.org.zw

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