In Mwanambuyu Ward in Senanga District, 38-year-old Walubita Monde a mother of five spent most of her life as a small-scale farmer, depending on the land to provide for her family. But until recently, post-harvest losses, poor storage practices, and limited farming knowledge made it difficult for her to earn a stable income.
When ADRA Zambia with support from Czech Development Agency introduced trainings on post-harvest loss management, storage skills, and agroecology farming practices, Walubita was among the first to join. “ADRA has trained me in post-harvest loss management and storage skills, agroecology farming practices that I have learnt on crop rotation and intercropping and value addition,” she explains. “The value addition lessons helped me to prepare and preserve food that I never thought I could preserve for dry seasons. I learned to make jam from tomatoes and lemons—fruits that we used to let rot in the village.”
With a bright smile, she shares her newfound ambition: “I want to start selling jam made from lemons that I can be making in the community so that I can be making money for myself and my family.”
The training has not only changed Walubita’s perspective but also inspired many farmers around her to adopt sustainable farming methods. “The lessons from the project have helped our farmers in the community to apply crop rotation and intercropping in their fields, and I’m happy because we will harvest enough crops that will help us to have enough food in our homes,” she says.
Walubita believes that knowledge is the most powerful seed that ADRA has planted in her community. “I’m happy with ADRA Zambia for the trainings. Train as many farmers as possible in our village,” she urges with gratitude and hope.
Through ADRA Zambia’s interventions, women like Walubita are not only gaining farming knowledge but also discovering the confidence to transform their skills into sustainable livelihoods that ensure food security and resilience for their families.
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