In Chipata, in eastern Zambia, farmer Sarah Phiri’s income used to be constrained by traditional methods, poor soils, and erratic rainfall. Not anymore: by adopting practical, sustainable techniques that boost productivity and strengthen resilience to climate shocks, she is transforming her life and her community.
“I grow beans, maize, sunflower, and wheat,” she explains. “Using the improved farming techniques has resulted in better harvests than the traditional methods we used for years. As a result, I can now send all my children to school without difficulty, and we store enough food to last the whole year.”
Mirriam Lungu, another farmer who adopted the new techniques, highlights their simplicity and practicality.
“Smart agriculture has simplified farming,” she says. “It does not require hard labor, and even when I cultivate a small piece of land, the harvest exceeds expectations. These lessons have also shown us how to make the land fertile even when we do not have money to buy fertilizer.”
For those women and many more in the area, improved farming and agricultural practices are making a difference, improving livelihoods through larger harvests and opening a pathway to better income and food security.
Smart agriculture: From practical techniques to sustainability and dignity
Climate-smart agriculture brings together technologies, practices, and farm management methods that help farmers increase production while protecting the environment. In Chipata, women received training in soil fertility management, crop rotation, ripping, precision farming, and agroforestry. These techniques help restore degraded land, conserve moisture, and reduce labor demands, enabling farmers to harvest more reliably in a changing climate.
Beyond higher productivity, these methods support better food and nutrition outcomes. They also help farmers adapt to rainfall variability, and improve soil health, while in some cases, lowering greenhouse gas emissions. This makes it a powerful approach for communities that must grow more food while safeguarding the natural resources on which agriculture depends.
“Adopting smart agriculture has greatly improved our efficiency, increased our harvests, and strengthened our food security. Our lives have changed, and we now teach others how to farm this way,” says Gracious Lungu, leader of a local farmer’s cooperative.
Practices such as agroforestry and minimum tillage also help restore degraded land, protect water sources, and support biodiversity. By reducing reliance on chemical inputs and improving carbon sequestration, healthier soils and ecosystems support stronger harvests today and reduce future risks to agricultural production.
This progress was supported through the Zambia Integrated Forest Landscape Project (ZIFLP), an initiative of the Government of Zambia supported by the World Bank, the BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes (BioCFplus-ISFL), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and beneficiary communities. The project aimed to improve landscape management and expand environmental and economic benefits for targeted rural communities. In eastern Zambia, ZIFLP training has equipped farmers with more productive and resilient farming skills, while protecting the natural resources on which future growth depends.
ZIFLP has also helped create jobs and assist farmers to adopt practices that raise incomes while preserving the natural capital needed for long-term food security, resilience, and inclusive growth. This is contributing to achieving the goals of AgriConnect, a World Bank Group initiative to transform farming for 300 million smallholders, creating jobs, and strengthening global food security.
Women’s Leadership
Women make up a large share of Zambia’s agricultural workforce, particularly in rural areas like Chipata. Yet they often face limited access to resources, declining soil fertility, and increasing climate stress which may translate into insufficient income and nutrition for themselves and their children. These improved farming practices offer practical tools to respond to these realities.
“The influence extends beyond individual households. As more women adopt these methods, entire communities benefit from increased productivity and resilience. With higher yields and more stable incomes, families can invest in education and healthcare, strengthening the social fabric of the region,” says Silvia Mauri, World Bank Senior Agriculture Specialist.
For many households, the impact is immediate: more food on the table, more produce to sell, and greater confidence in planning for the future. By improving yields and reducing risk, smart agriculture is helping women meet daily needs, invest in their children’s education, and build more secure livelihoods.
The benefits also extend beyond individual farms. Women farmers in Chipata are taking on leadership roles, sharing knowledge with neighbors, and encouraging wider adoption of sustainable practices across their communities.
