The UK has been helping farmers in eastern Zambia learn greener farming methods since 2018, working in one of Africa’s poorest areas through the Zambia Integrated Forest Landscapes Project (ZIFL Programme). So far, more than 100,000 farmers have learned new techniques like crop rotation and planting trees alongside their crops.
Last June, Zambia signed a deal that will pay local people for reducing carbon emissions. The project wants to cut 30 million tonnes of emissions—about the same amount that all of the UK’s livestock farming produces in a year.
But it’s not just about farming. The program is also helping build roads and campsites in two national parks, Luambe and Lukusuzi, which creates jobs in eco-tourism while protecting wildlife.
The project shows how helping the environment can also help people make a living. Farmers are learning ways to grow food that’s better for the land, while new jobs in tourism give rural communities more ways to earn money.
For families in eastern Zambia, where poverty rates are high, the program offers both practical training and new income opportunities while tackling climate change at the same time.
