In this PeaceParks.TV episode, we attend the International Climate Initiative’s Growing Greener kick-off event in Zambia’s Simalaha Community Conservancy, a community-driven conservation area supported by Peace Parks Foundation. Zambia is one of four countries receiving support from the International Climate Initiative (IKI), which collaborates with additional implementing partners across other nations.
The IKI Growing Greener Project helps these countries combat desertification, enhance biomass and biodiversity, increase soil carbon, and build resilience to climate change.
This project is promoting Conservational International (CI) and Peace Parks Foundation’s Herding for Health programme, which helps communities manage their livestock and land in a sustainable way. Simalaha’s Agri-hub initiative, encourages farmers to combine their efforts to improve the quality of their produce and link them to buyers.
“Long term sustainability of a project is heavily dependent on community involvement. So, once we have this synergy between the cooperating partners, government agencies and the community, the beneficiaries themselves, we can almost guarantee sustainability of the project activities. So, it should be implemented in a holistic approach where everybody participates and everybody knows their role,” says Mwambila Kabemba, Director of Livestock in the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Zambia.
Alexo Mwinanu Sionga, Grazing Committee Chair and Farmer at Simalaha Community Conservancy, says: “All in all it’s really good. It’s also beneficial to us and our households as individuals.
It promotes job creation for the youth. Our cattle are in very good condition and receiving all they require. As a member of the grazing community, we really appreciate this project.”
Thanks to the Government of Zambia, German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection (BMUV), GIZ, Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development (CCARDESA) Conservation International (CI) and Simalaha Community Conservancy for coordinated efforts and dedication to building resilience against climate change.
Read more on this here.
