Durham News Features - View Article - Canadians help pump up crop production

(Originally published May 8, 2006)

Robert Mwanza’s irrigation system looks like a wooden bicycle without wheels, with a hose leading into a well he dug by shovel.

For the small-scale Zambian farmer, the leg-powered pump means he can feed his family and send his kids to school.

In a white, button-up shirt, pants rolled up just below his knees and flip-flops, Mr. Mwanza leads his small group of visitors from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Metroland Community Newspapers around his two-hectare farm. Here, under the hot afternoon sun, he displays coffee beans he harvests by hand, maize corn, paprika, Zambian eggplant, tomatoes and more, as well as the treadle pump he pedals to irrigate his crops.

Without the pump, introduced to him by the International Development Enterprises (IDE), Mr. Mwanza and his family would have to water each plant by hand every day. According to IDE, most treadle pump farmers increase their income from $200 to $1,000 US per quarter hectare per season.

“They are now self-sufficient,” said Peter Lungu, IDE deputy country director in Zambia.

A non-government organization, IDE began working in Zambia in 1997 with a mission to help small farmers grow more than just enough to feed their families.

In 1998, CIDA provided almost $125,000 per year (Canadian) to the Manual Irrigation Program here. The funding was provided annually until 2002, and from 2002-2005, CIDA provided three-year funding that ran out on Jan. 31, 2006. The money helped IDE provide irrigation system demonstrations to farmers, implement pumps and go to farms to meet and work with farmers. Although the funding amount is not huge compared to other donors, Mr. Lungu referred to CIDA as the backbone of the Zambian irrigation project because it provided support first, before the program’s success attracted other agencies.

IDE also worked on stimulating the agricultural market to raise income for farmers so they could afford new technology. It also educates them on better growing practices, such as using organics instead of fertilizer. Zambians farm the same piece of land, and using fertilizer can have long-term negative impacts, eventually causing the soil to lose its nutrients.

Mr. Mwanza is currently growing a crop in an organic compost/chicken manure mixture to compare results -- so far it’s working better than fertilizer.

In the future, Mr. Mwanza wants to provide more HIV/AIDS education to those on his farm. With three people alternating on the treadle pump, it will impact the farm’s operation if someone gets sick. The importance of nutrition and crops for people with HIV/AIDS is just starting to emerge through IDE.

Mr. Mwanza also wants to expand his operation and buy the plot of land given to him by the village chief. To apply for its deed, he has to pay the village’s head man 400,000 and the chief 500,000 kwacha, as well as any administration fees. In February, 3,200 kwacha equalled $1 US. Having the land title would allow Mr. Mwanza to borrow against his farm and use it as collateral to purchase more advanced irrigation systems and move closer to becoming a commercial farmer.

Currently, there are more than 5,000 of the pumps in Zambia, said Zambian resident Isaac Ntambo.

For more information on IDE, visit www.ideorg.org.