LocationsWhat the SCRALA project reveals about building lasting resilience from the ground up—By Carol Mwape Zulu; Programme Specialist (Energy and Environment Unit)
Financing Climate Resilience: An Option or a Priority?
September 11, 2025
Rufunsa Senior Agriculture Officer demonstrating Smart Agriculture Practices at a Farmer Field School which aims to promote Smart Agriculture in Zambia.
Photo by: Mulapwa Mukopole/UNDP Zambia
“Without investment in climate resilience, Zambia risks reversing its hard-won development gains.” This warning from the 2025 Zambia National Human Development Report (NHDR) could not be more timely.
Ensuring global food security is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Climate change, with its growing unpredictability and severity, exacerbates this challenge, especially in countries like Zambia, where rain-fed agriculture is predominant.
Agriculture is the backbone of Zambia’s economy, supporting about 60% of the population (World Bank, 2019). Yet rising climate risks are straining already vulnerable farming systems. The 2023/2024 drought exposed the fragility of Zambia’s food system, leaving millions facing food shortages as crops withered under prolonged dry conditions.
While the return of rains has brought hope and a bumper harvest in the 2024/2025 farming season, the lesson is clear: recovery today does not guarantee stability tomorrow. Without long-term investment in resilience, each new season brings renewed risks.
Carol Mwape Zulu-Programme Specialist (camera right), Dr. James Wakiaga-UNDP Resident Representative (middle), Esther Nkomo-Programme Analyst (camera left) standing in front of the Tauya Irrigation scheme that was handed over in 2024 to farmers in Chirundu district.
Photo by: UNDP Zambia
One pathway to resilience has emerged through the Strengthening Climate Resilience of Agricultural Livelihoods in Agro-Ecological Regions I and II in Zambia (SCRALA) project. Funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the SCRALA project is working across 16 districts to build adaptive capacity. The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) leads implementation with support from UNDP, FAO, WFP, Water Resource Management Authority (WARMA), and the Zambia Meteorological Department (ZMD).
Since 2019, the project has supported ZMD to improve weather forecasting through 20 automatic weather stations and 220 rain gauges. In 2024, weather and agricultural advisories reached 312,329 small-scale farmers, strengthening early warning, water management, and crop planning.
The project also promotes climate-smart agriculture, alternative livelihoods (such as beekeeping, goat rearing, fish farming among others), savings mechanisms, and market access. Beekeeping has proven to be a critical buffer during drought. In 2023, over 2,500 beneficiaries in 14 districts produced 35,000 kilograms of honey worth ZMW 468,165 (USD 18,700). By 2024, honey output rose to nearly 37,000 kilograms, generating ZMW 2.4 million (USD 96,000). This translated into food on the table, school fees paid, and household stability while boosting Zambia’s GDP and exports.
Goat rearing is another resilient option. In 2024, more than 8,000 farmers sold about 35,475 goats, collectively earning ZMW 5.5 million (USD 220,000). These earnings not only kept households afloat but also supported local markets and agro-dealers.
As for Fish farming, 649 farmers in six districts raised 58,000 fingerlings, and by the end of 2024, harvests totalled 2,800 kilograms, bringing in ZMW 267,000 (USD 10,680). Beyond income, this intervention is diversifying diets and reducing malnutrition.
Financial inclusion has become another powerful resilience tool. In 2024, more than 40,000 farmers (71% women) mobilised over ZMW 11 million (USD 440,000) through village savings groups. These groups act as informal banks, offering credit and safety nets during crop failures, while fostering investment in rural development.
Meanwhile, clean energy under the SCRALA project is transforming agriculture in Tauya village, Chirundu District. A 20-hectare solar-powered community irrigation scheme has enabled over 45 households to farm all year round. In July 2025, farmers earned ZMW 200,000 (USD 6,060) from 1.5 hectares of bananas and reinvested ZMW 50,000 (USD 1,515) into winter maize farming. Building on this success, they expanded banana cultivation to 5 hectares using suckers from the first crop.
Tauya Irrigation Scheme cooperative member standing in the banana field in Chirundu district.
Photo by: Mulapwa Mukopole/UNDP Zambia
Under market access, aggregation and bulking centres are making it easier for smallholder farmers to sell their produce. Despite the 2023/2024 drought, aggregators managed to bulk 240 metric tonnes of commodities including maize, sunflower, and soya worth ZMW 2.36 million (USD 94,500). In Kazungula district, 58 metric tonnes of grain and legumes valued at ZMW 477,600 (USD 19,100) were sold. To further support this effort, Toyocycles distributed to 16 project sites provided vital transport, reducing costs for farmers as aggregators collected crops from central locations.
But even with these successes, risks remain high. Climate models predict more droughts and heat stress. These challenges call for sustained investments, and the Green Climate Fund’s continued support is vital. SCRALA’s value chain approach proves it can build adaptive capacity, raise incomes, and improve food security. Scaling this success demands long-term partnerships.
Therefore, investing in climate resilience means supporting solutions that tackle climate risks, market challenges, and livelihoods simultaneously, and it must remain a priority because the future cannot wait.