THE EDITORIAL NEWS

IMWI LANUCHES HIGH-TECH DROUGHT MONITORING SYSTEM FOR ZAMBIA By Alfonso Kasongo Zambia will now be better equipped to cope with droughts following the launch of a new satellite-based online weather-monitoring system, the Zambia Drought Monitoring System (ZADMS).  The Southern African country has in the last few years been experiencing adverse impact of climate variability among them crop failure due to droughts and floods,therefore the satelite based online weather-monitoring system is launched at a time when the country is in serious need for online weather monitoring equipment as it grapples with the impact of climate change.  The System (ZADMS), developed by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) for Zambia’s Ministry of Agriculture is aimed at providing all the information needed to effectively manage drought and will spur weather monitoring. The new system uses the same technology as the one tried-and-tested South Asia Drought Monitoring System (SADMS), which whose de

AICCRA ACCELERATOR PROGRAMME BENEFITS OVER 118,000 SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN ZAMBIA By Alfonso Kasongo The AICCRA Zambia Accelerator Program has seen over 118,000 small-scale farmers in Zambia benefiting since its launch in February last year. The programme which o ffers a win-win solution for SMEs and investors, also highlights how science can be used to catalyze finance into climate-smart agriculture for meaningful change and has since attracted an additional US $500,000 in grant funding from a USAID-led global crisis-relief fund that invests in rapid solutions for food insecurity. According to the consolidated efforts of the AICCRA Zambia Accelerator partner portfolio,data indicates that of the 118,000 farmers, 36% are women . Since its launch in February 2022, AICCRA and partners have worked closely with a cohort of 14 Zambian agribusinesses, who we grouped into five innovation ‘bundles', each focused on a different value chain or challenge specific to Zambia’s agriculture. Dr. In