Chipata: By adopting practical, sustainable techniques that boost productivity and strengthen resilience to climate shocks, women in Eastern Zambia are transforming their lives and communities. I grow beans, maize, sunflower, and wheat, explains a local farmer. Using the improved farming techniques has resulted in better harvests than the traditional methods we used for years. As a result, I can now send all my children to school without difficulty, and we store enough food to last the whole year.According to World Bank, the impact of climate-smart agriculture is evident in Chipata, where women have been trained in soil fertility management, crop rotation, ripping, precision farming, and agroforestry. These techniques are restoring degraded land, conserving moisture, and reducing labor demands, enabling farmers to harvest more reliably in a changing climate.Mirriam Lungu, another farmer who adopted the new techniques, highlights their simplicity and practicality. Smart agriculture has simplified farming, she says. It does not require hard labor, and even when I cultivate a small piece of land, the harvest exceeds expectations. These lessons have also shown us how to make the land fertile even when we do not have money to buy fertilizer.For these women and many more in the area, improved farming and agricultural practices are making a difference, improving livelihoods through larger harvests and opening a pathway to better income and food security. By reducing reliance on chemical inputs and improving carbon sequestration, healthier soils and ecosystems support stronger harvests today and reduce future risks to agricultural production.The progress seen in Eastern Zambia is supported by the Zambia Integrated Forest Landscape Project (ZIFLP), an initiative of the Government of Zambia supported by the World Bank, the BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes (BioCFplus-ISFL), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and beneficiary communities. The project aims to improve landscape management and expand environmental and economic benefits for targeted rural communities.Women make up a large share of Zambia's agricultural workforce, particularly in rural areas like Chipata. Yet they often face limited access to resources, declining soil fertility, and increasing climate stress. These improved farming practices offer practical tools to respond to these realities.The influence extends beyond individual households. As more women adopt these methods, entire communities benefit from increased productivity and resilience. With higher yields and more stable incomes, families can invest in education and healthcare, strengthening the social fabric of the region, says Silvia Mauri, World Bank Senior Agriculture Specialist.Women farmers in Chipata are taking on leadership roles, sharing knowledge with neighbors, and encouraging wider adoption of sustainable practices across their communities. Sarah Phiri and Mirriam Lungu's experience reflects a wider shift across the region. Improved farming has becom e an important source of self-employment and resilience.As Zambia works to strengthen food security and create more economic opportunities in rural areas, the results of ZIFLP offer a clear lesson: when women have access to knowledge, tools, and opportunity, they become powerful agents of change for their communities.

Chipata: By adopting practical, sustainable techniques that boost productivity and strengthen resilience to climate shocks, women in Eastern Zambia are transforming their lives and communities. I grow beans, maize, sunflower, and wheat, explains a local farmer. Using the improved farming techniques has resulted in better harvests than the traditional methods we used for years. As a result, I can now send all my children to school without difficulty, and we store enough food to last the whole year.According to World Bank, the impact of climate-smart agriculture is evident in Chipata, where women have been trained in soil fertility management, crop rotation, ripping, precision farming, and agroforestry. These techniques are restoring degraded land, conserving moisture, and reducing labor demands, enabling farmers to harvest more reliably in a changing climate.Mirriam Lungu, another farmer who adopted the new techniques, highlights their simplicity and practicality. Smart agriculture has simplified farming, she says. It does not require hard labor, and even when I cultivate a small piece of land, the harvest exceeds expectations. These lessons have also shown us how to make the land fertile even when we do not have money to buy fertilizer.For these women and many more in the area, improved farming and agricultural practices are making a difference, improving livelihoods through larger harvests and opening a pathway to better income and food security. By reducing reliance on chemical inputs and improving carbon sequestration, healthier soils and ecosystems support stronger harvests today and reduce future risks to agricultural production.The progress seen in Eastern Zambia is supported by the Zambia Integrated Forest Landscape Project (ZIFLP), an initiative of the Government of Zambia supported by the World Bank, the BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes (BioCFplus-ISFL), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and beneficiary communities. The project aims to improve landscape management and expand environmental and economic benefits for targeted rural communities.Women make up a large share of Zambia's agricultural workforce, particularly in rural areas like Chipata. Yet they often face limited access to resources, declining soil fertility, and increasing climate stress. These improved farming practices offer practical tools to respond to these realities.The influence extends beyond individual households. As more women adopt these methods, entire communities benefit from increased productivity and resilience. With higher yields and more stable incomes, families can invest in education and healthcare, strengthening the social fabric of the region, says Silvia Mauri, World Bank Senior Agriculture Specialist.Women farmers in Chipata are taking on leadership roles, sharing knowledge with neighbors, and encouraging wider adoption of sustainable practices across their communities. Sarah Phiri and Mirriam Lungu's experience reflects a wider shift across the region. Improved farming has becom e an important source of self-employment and resilience.As Zambia works to strengthen food security and create more economic opportunities in rural areas, the results of ZIFLP offer a clear lesson: when women have access to knowledge, tools, and opportunity, they become powerful agents of change for their communities.

Chipata: By adopting practical, sustainable techniques that boost productivity and strengthen resilience to climate shocks, women in Eastern Zambia are transforming their lives and communities. I grow beans, maize, sunflower, and wheat, explains a local farmer. Using the improved farming techniques has resulted in better harvests than the traditional methods we used for years. As a result, I can now send all my children to school without difficulty, and we store enough food to last the whole year.According to World Bank, the impact of climate-smart agriculture is evident in Chipata, where women have been trained in soil fertility management, crop rotation, ripping, precision farming, and agroforestry. These techniques are restoring degraded land, conserving moisture, and reducing labor demands, enabling farmers to harvest more reliably in a changing climate.Mirriam Lungu, another farmer who adopted the new techniques, highlights their simplicity and practicality. Smart agriculture has simplified farming, she says. It does not require hard labor, and even when I cultivate a small piece of land, the harvest exceeds expectations. These lessons have also shown us how to make the land fertile even when we do not have money to buy fertilizer.For these women and many more in the area, improved farming and agricultural practices are making a difference, improving livelihoods through larger harvests and opening a pathway to better income and food security. By reducing reliance on chemical inputs and improving carbon sequestration, healthier soils and ecosystems support stronger harvests today and reduce future risks to agricultural production.The progress seen in Eastern Zambia is supported by the Zambia Integrated Forest Landscape Project (ZIFLP), an initiative of the Government of Zambia supported by the World Bank, the BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes (BioCFplus-ISFL), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and beneficiary communities. The project aims to improve landscape management and expand environmental and economic benefits for targeted rural communities.Women make up a large share of Zambia's agricultural workforce, particularly in rural areas like Chipata. Yet they often face limited access to resources, declining soil fertility, and increasing climate stress. These improved farming practices offer practical tools to respond to these realities.The influence extends beyond individual households. As more women adopt these methods, entire communities benefit from increased productivity and resilience. With higher yields and more stable incomes, families can invest in education and healthcare, strengthening the social fabric of the region, says Silvia Mauri, World Bank Senior Agriculture Specialist.Women farmers in Chipata are taking on leadership roles, sharing knowledge with neighbors, and encouraging wider adoption of sustainable practices across their communities. Sarah Phiri and Mirriam Lungu's experience reflects a wider shift across the region. Improved farming has becom e an important source of self-employment and resilience.As Zambia works to strengthen food security and create more economic opportunities in rural areas, the results of ZIFLP offer a clear lesson: when women have access to knowledge, tools, and opportunity, they become powerful agents of change for their communities.