Smallholder Farmer Support Fund
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Trains subsistence farming households recovering from the 2024 drought in conservation farming, from planting basins and crop rotation to early land preparation that makes the most of erratic rains.
Why this matters in Zambia
Most rural households here grow maize on a few hectares that depend entirely on rain. When the 2023-24 season failed, about one million hectares of maize, close to half the national crop area, were lost, and President Hakainde Hichilema declared the drought a national disaster in February 2024. Families who ate their seed stock or sold livestock to get through that year started the following season with less than before.
Southern, Central and Western provinces sit in the driest belt and feel each dry spell hardest. Seed and fertilizer must be bought before planting, exactly when household cash is lowest, and formal lenders rarely serve farmers without collateral or a salaried income. Government input subsidies reach many farmers but not all, and delivery has at times run late. Methods that hold moisture in the soil and let crops go in with the first rains give households a better chance of a harvest when rains are erratic, and depend more on labor and know-how than on cash.
What your gift pays for
- Training for lead farmers who host demonstration plots and teach neighbors minimum-tillage planting
- Basin hoes, rippers and other tools used in minimum-tillage planting
- Field days led by experienced local farmers who demonstrate drought-resilient methods
Organization
Conservation Farming Unit (CFU) · Zambia
Founded 1995 · Headquarters: Lusaka
Zambian organisation training smallholders in drought-resilient conservation farming.
How they work: CFU promotes conservation agriculture built on a few principles: minimum tillage using hand-dug planting basins or ox-drawn ripper lines, keeping crop residue on the soil instead of burning it, rotating cereals with legumes, and preparing land in the dry season so crops go in with the first rains. Its extension model relies on lead farmers who host demonstration plots and train neighbors, backed by CFU field staff. It has also encouraged farmers to grow Faidherbia albida, a nitrogen-fixing tree, among their crops.
Track record: Initiated by the Zambia National Farmers Union, CFU had spent five years by 2003 promoting conservation farming in Zambia, incl. improved tilling, crop rotation and inter-cropping.
✓ Verified by our team on 23 June 2024
Giving in Zambia
Rural livelihoods and wildlife link the four Zambian causes. Smallholder households recovering from consecutive poor harvests receive training in conservation farming, and Heifer International funds veterinary access for farmers whose income depends on livestock. In South Luangwa, rangers protect elephants and other wildlife from snaring and ivory poaching. MISA Zambia supports community radio and rural journalists in areas that national media rarely reach, adding an information dimension alongside farming and conservation.
4 causes are listed in Zambia, each with its own verified organization. $374,290 has been distributed to causes in Zambia since 2021.
Our guide to giving in Zambia · all 4 causes
Donate Crypto to Zambia: Farmers, Wildlife and Local News
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How your gift reaches this cause
- You send crypto to DonateCrypto’s verified wallet for the coin you choose. No platform fee is taken; blockchain network fees still apply.
- Your transaction ID ties the gift to this cause. Our team checks it on the blockchain and emails your official receipt once it’s confirmed.
- We then convert the funds for this cause and send them to Conservation Farming Unit (CFU), the organization named above, by bank transfer to its registered bank account, within 24 hours of confirming your donation.
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