Impact of climate change needs addresing - Monde

17 March 2014

The Post (Zambia) by Chambwa Moonga

AGRICULTURE deputy minister Greyford Monde says there is need to deal with impacts of climate change if the agriculture sector is to improve. And African Development Bank representative, Gbeli Leandre, says the bank is concerned that floods and droughts have over the past three decades cost Zambia huge sums of money.

Speaking at the launch of the second phase of the strengthening climate resilience in the Kafue sub-region in Lusaka on Thursday night, Monde who is also UPND member of parliament for Itezhi-tezhi where the project would also be implemented, said good climatic conditions meant good agricultural produce.

"This project is important as it will greatly help the targeted districts to increase their agricultural produce," he said.

Monde said the Kafue basin had a high potential for agriculture and livestoc k-related business and hence, there was need to counter climatic hindrances that had a bad effect on both agriculture and livestock.

And Leandre said the AFDB was proud that the bank's partnership with the Climatic Investment Fund and the World Bank was bearing fruit at the district and community levels in terms of building climate resilience to reverse or mitigate the negative impacts of climate change in Zambia.

"The bank is concerned that over the past three decades, floods and droughts have already cost Zambia an estimated US$13.8 billion or a loss of economic growth equivalent to 0.4 per cent annually," said Leandre.

The project which started last year would be implemented over a period of five years at a cost of US$38.72 million in nine districts of the Kafue Sub-Basin. Among the districts that are set to benefit from the pilot programme for climate resilience are Choma, Chibombo, Itezhi-tezhi, Kalomo, Monze, Mazabuka, Kafue, Mumbwa and Namwala.

Category: General