Zambia has immense agricultural potential, with over half of its land classified as ideal for crop production. Smallholder farmers, who are the backbone of the sector, primarily cultivate staple crops like maize, sorghum, millet, cassava, and groundnuts.
However, challenges such as rising temperatures and reduced rainfall, especially in southern and western regions, threaten agricultural productivity, particularly maize yields.
Developing Climate-Resilient Crops for Future Sustainability
To address these challenges, the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI) is prioritizing the development of climate-adapted crop varieties. By modernizing breeding programs, the goal is to produce new crop varieties that can thrive in changing climate conditions, resist pests and diseases, and deliver high yields for the growing population, currently estimated at 21.9 million.
Accelerating Crop Breeding with International Support
The Zambian Ministry of Agriculture is investing in crop breeding activities to fast-track the development of improved varieties. Collaboration with international organizations like CGIAR, the world’s largest agricultural research network, is key to enhancing funding and modernizing breeding practices.
Traditionally, breeding relied on direct observation of parent plants, but this method is unreliable due to climate variations and disease. With support from the CGIAR Accelerated Breeding Initiative, Zambia is advancing its breeding programs by incorporating genotyping, a laboratory process that analyzes DNA sequences to identify desirable traits in plants. This ensures that only the best crops progress to the next stage without costly and inconsistent field testing.
Building Capacity for Modernized Breeding Techniques
In addition to financial support, ZARI is benefiting from capacity development to align with international crop breeding standards. CGIAR is providing training in modern techniques, such as marker-assisted selection, to improve efficiency. Innovative methods like the Triadic Comparison of Technology Options (TRICOT), which involves farmers in testing new crop varieties, are also being adopted.
ZARI has also digitized its processes, including migrating data to a modern management platform, enhancing its four key units: Crop Improvement and Agronomy, Plant Protection, Farming Systems, and Agribusiness.
Aligning Breeding Programs with National Agricultural Goals
ZARI’s initiatives are in line with Zambia’s national agricultural priorities. Through Product Design Team (PDT) meetings, the institute has engaged with stakeholders to identify key market segments and develop Target Product Profiles (TPPs), which guide the breeding work. This alignment ensures that crop varieties meet the needs of seed companies, farmers, and consumers.
Assessing and Scaling Up Breeding Operations
The Accelerated Breeding Initiative has supported comprehensive assessments of Zambia’s breeding programs, identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement. This assessment led to successful applications for sub-grants to address the identified gaps and scale up breeding operations. The process also involved cost analysis using the University of Queensland Breeding costing tool.
With these strategies, Zambia is on track to develop climate-resilient crops that can secure the country’s agricultural future and contribute to food security.
