Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) president Jervis Zimba has called on government to invest in modernizing the Zambia Meteorological Department (ZMD) so that the department can improve on the information that they channel out and release to the public.
Zimba said in April 2019 that there is need to invest in latest machinery and equipment that would allow ZMD to capture appropriate and accurate data. He says a farmer is highly dependent on reliable weather information. It is therefore important that this information is imparted to farmers in good time and in a simplified format.
“In fact, our Meteorological Department is our first line of defense in mitigating against climate change because as a farmer, I will be able to determine when to plant and what seed varieties to go for based on information coming out of this Government Department.
Zimba has also called on the country to embrace youths in farming at an early age so that they develop the interest and learn the skills to easily carry the country’s load in future.
The union president said the number of youths between the ages of 15 and 35 years is placed at about 4.8 million and is the largest population of young people in the history of the country.
He said as the country makes advancements in agricultural growth, there is need to ensure that the youth become major players in agricultural activities but that youths need incentives to enable them participate in the agriculture sector.
