Zambia food secure despite poor rains – FAO

FAO Country Representative Dr. George Okech

Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) Country Representative Dr. George Okech has expressed confidence that despite experiencing prolonged drought and erratic rainfall during the 2017-2018 farming season, the country is still poised to record a good harvest this year.

Dr. Okech has told Q-News  that the fact that the country is likely to record a good harvest later this year, even after experiencing some drought is what makes it to stand out as one of the few  countries in  Southern African which is Food secured.

He has observed that the only problem threatening the country’s food production is mono-cropping.

Dr. Okech points out that there is too much dependant on maize crop, hence the need for the country to diversify to other crops that can add value to the national food security.

He has since urged government through the Ministry of Agriculture to promote crop diversification so that farmers can reduce dependence on maize and start growing crops such as Sorghum, Legumes and Millet on large scale if food security is to be sustained.