This document provides a summary of a project to establish a mixed farm in Zambia to promote food security and rural livelihoods. The project secured 10 hectares of land and developed 4 hectares for cultivation of crops like chili, maize, and other vegetables. Infrastructure like trenches, irrigation systems, and storage facilities were installed. Crops were planted and the farmers received training. Some challenges included delays, lack of equipment, and security issues. The project helped farmers grow crops for local and regional markets.

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END OF PROJECT REPORT
LWANDE MIXED FARM PROJECT
OWNERS: MUKUNI CURIO TRADERS ASSOCIATION
Submitted by:
Organization: AgriSmart – Zambia; and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
Principal Investigator: Emil van Wyk, AgriSmart-Zambia
Country Director: Emil van Wyk, AgriSmart– Zambia.
Date: May 2015.

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PROGRAM SUMMARY
The ultimate goal of the project is to ensure food security by promoting rural livelihoods and diversified
income streams. This will be accomplished using an innovative, market focused and scientific approach.
Farmers will be trained in good agricultural practices, postharvest and storage systems,
entrepreneurship, business development skills (including managerial skills such as record keeping and
negotiating), and then they will be linked to sustainable markets. Innovative, economically viable
technologies including eco-friendly farming techniques, the use of high quality germ plasma, and quality
control in postharvest technology will be promoted.
To reach that goal, CHDA in co-operation with AgriSmart-Zambia worked together to establish the
foundation of this program as a pilot phase for six months. That pilot proposal is to bring 4 ha of land
under irrigation and into production. Farmers from the Mukuni Curio Traders Association need to grow
chilli and other horticultural crops for sale locally and regionally at Lwande Mix Farm.
Newly established development on Lwande Farm
Goal: Develop 4 hectares of land for cultivation to ensure food security by promoting rural livelihoods
and diversified income streams for the Mukuni Curio Traders Association at Lwande Mix Farm.
Objectives:
a) Secure the ten (10) hectares Lwande farm by establishing trenches around the whole facility;
b) Provide complete irrigation infrastructure on four (4) hectare of the farm including a solar water
pump, two (2) 5 000 liters tanks mounted on concrete platforms and laying and commissioning
of drip irrigation pipes and fittings;
c) Prepare four (4) hectares of the farm for cultivation, including ripping, ploughing,
disking/harrowing and ridging;
d) Provide the Mukuni Curio Traders Association (the project) with one hectare chilli seedlings, two
hectare crop seedlings, fertilizers, chemicals and basic farm equipment;
e) Facilitate market linkages between Lwande farm and consumer firms both at national and
regional levels;
f) Provide members of the project with training in business, entrepreneurship and marketing skills
as well as relevant manuals for the community (crop specific, safe use of chemicals and soil
management) etc.;
g) Provide support to the project with technical inputs on crop production, harvesting, packaging
and promotion among other things.

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OBJECTIVE A: Secure the ten (10) hectares Lwande farm by establishing trenches around the
whole facility
Lwande Mix Farm (May 2015)
Accomplishments:
Project successfully secured 20 hectare of land from his Royal Highness, Chief Mukuni and land handed
it over to the Mukuni Curio Traders Association. AgriSmart contracted a locally based contractor to
establish trenches around 10 hectares of the land to protect the newly planted horticultural crops
against domestic animals and wildlife. A trench of 1.5m wide and 1 m deep was dug around the farm to
secure it from elephants and domestic animals.
Challenges:
 During excavation we found several different types of soil. The machinery contracted was not
able to keep to the agreed depth of the trenches at the rocky parts of the land. At some places
the contractor only manages a depth of 90 cm.
 There was no other suitable heavy duty equipment available in the area to solve this challenge
and to transport this from further afield would deplete the budget for the transport cost alone
(the cheapest quotation was K 22 / km from Sesheke).
 Due to time pressure there was no other option than to continue and we have seen that the
trenches only fail to keep elephants out. The trenches successfully protect the crops against
domestic animals.

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OBJECTIVE B: To provide complete irrigation infrastructure on four (4) hectares of the farm
including a solar water pump, two (2) 5 000 liters tanks mounted on concrete
platforms and to lay and commission drip irrigation pipes and fittings;
Solar pump with solar panels and control box
Accomplishments:
AgriSmart installed a solar pump in the existing borehole provided by the project. A locally based
contractor was used to construct pillars to install the solar panels as well as a control box with a trip
switch. All panels are protected with a lock steel frame (also manufactured by a local contractor). All
main lines, sub lines, main valves, filters, in line valves and dripper lines were installed according the
design approved by the technical officials of AgriSmart for the 4 hectare approved development area.
Furthermore a local contractor constructed a tank stand and 2 x 5000 liter tanks were put in line for the
irrigation system. The system design and operation proofs to be outmost functional and ASNAPP is
satisfied with the delivery of water for irrigation to the land.
The best quality irrigation equipment available was used and the system allows easy connection for
expansion. The system design is user friendly, easy to operate and make provision for different crops to
manage in the same block. Not only were the irrigation blocks equipped with a main valve, but each
individual dripper line was also equipped with an in line valve. This allows the irrigated area to be

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functional at any time without over or under irrigation at other areas. This also prevents wastage of the
water resources available and also prevents weed growth.
The total irrigation system is easy to maintain and can be operated at a low cost (the system is the best
available on the market). The system was installed by AgriSmart technical officers with the help from the
community. The following trainings were done on site:
 Solar pump operation and maintenance;
 Installation of solar pump and panels;
 Installation of main lines, sub lines and valves;
 Installation of dripper lines and in line valves;
 Land preparation (ridging);
 Irrigation system maintenance and operation;
 Water management and prevention of water waste
 Chemical handling and spraying
 Integrated pest management
 Weed management (removing by hand hoe)
 Fertilizer application
 Transplanting.
In line valves for dripper lines connected to sub lines
Challenges:
 Timing of implementation of the project forced development into the rainy season which is not
the ideal time of the year to start a project;
 Startup was delayed by slow mobilization of the community;
 Transport of supplies and inputs were a challenge due to the lack of transport for the
community;

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 Storage of chemicals, fertilizer, tools and irrigation equipment was a big challenge due to lack of
storage facilities.
 Security of inputs and supplies was a huge risk due to no fencing or storage facilities;
 Borehole reports were not available which make it difficult to determine yield.
 Insufficient funds to urgently tackle all the problems faced during our operation as we were
working in line with the agreed budget which made ASNAPP to start borrowing some funds to
speed up the work plan designed.
The community busy with day to day activities on Lwande Farm.
Lwande chilli garden

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OBJECTIVE C: Prepare four (4) hectares of the farm for cultivation, including ripping, ploughing,
disking/harrowing and ridging
Chilli plants on Lwande Farm
Accomplishments:
AgriSmart contracted a local contractor to cross rip the field 70cm deep, plough it and to make ridges on
a row width of 1 m apart. This was successfully done before the rainy season. Livingstone experienced
extreme heavy rain early in the season that results in flooding of the prepared land. The contractor

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therefore had to plough and ridge the field for a second time again to ensure a proper prepared land for
cultivation. The end result of the land preparation is good and the good height of the ridges prevents
flooding of the new crops. The community has now an excellent field for cultivation of horticultural
crops that will put them in a position to grow crops on this 4 ha of land for many years to come. With
good farming practices on soil management they can increase soil fertility and with minimum inputs
they can achieve good production on several fresh crops.
Challenges:
 We experienced difficulty in ripping and ploughing in the dry soil (before the rainy
season start) due to the lack of suitable equipment in the area and the costs of fuel and
damage to the equipment exceeded the budget put a side for land preparation;
 The early season flooding increased the costs to re-plough and ridge the land a second
time;
 The slow mobilization of the community at the start of the project delayed the clearing
(stumping) of the land to the size of 4 hectare, AgriSmart had to assist on labor costs
that were not part of the contract;
 AgriSmart had to rely on the size of the land given for development from the community
and experienced difficulty on the location of the borders and location of the planned
development;
 Due to time pressure no soil samples were done for analysis (just used experience).
Production area on Lwande farm

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OBJECTIVE D: Provide the Mukuni Curio Traders Association (the project) with one hectare
chilli seedlings, two hectare crop seedlings, fertilizers, chemicals and basic
farm equipment;
First butternut on Lwande Farm
Accomplishments:
AgriSmart contracted the Kazuni community in Kazungula to produce seedlings of high quality
for the project. AgriSmart have a long term relationship with the Kazuni community on seedling
production and the good training and infrastructure provided to them ensures timely delivery
and good quality seedlings with the best varieties available and suitable for the project. The
project planted 2.5 ha Malaga (birds eye chili), 0.5 ha green maize and one hectare mix crops
(cabbage, sweet potato, tomato, green beans and butternuts). The orange flesh sweet potato
is a highly nutrient variety and ASNAPP aims to promote access to this crop to the community
and surrounding communities by introducing it on this site. The community was trained in all
activities of land preparation, planting, applying of fertilizer and spraying of chemicals.
AgriSmart delivered all the seedlings, seed, tools, fertilizer and chemicals that were needed to
successfully plant the 4 ha of land on site.

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The community was trained in:
- Planting of seedlings;
- Spacing and dynamics of plant population;
- How to apply fertilizer;
- How to spray herbicides;
- How to apply chemical sprays;
- Planting of seeds.
The following inputs were delivered on site:
Seedlings
- Tomato 6 000 seedlings
- Chili 45 000 seedlings
- Cabbage 15 000 seedlings
Seeds
- Maize 20 Kg seed
- Green beans 5 Kg seed
- Butternut 5 Kg seed
Fertilizer
- 10 x D Compound
- 11 x Urea
Chemicals
- 40 liter Herbicide
- 6 liter Pesticide
- 5 liter Fungicide
Tools
- 20 Hoes
- 30 Shovels
- 8 x 16 liter Knapsack sprayers

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Challenges:
 Mobilization of community too slow to train groups in all aspects of production;
 Budget won’t allow for enough tools and equipment for the community;
 Lack of local supplies delayed implementation.
Production area on Lwande Farm

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OBJECTIVE E: Facilitate market linkages between Lwande farm and consumer firms both at
National and regional levels
Accomplishments:
AgriSmart successfully linked the community with chili traders from Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola and
Namibia. These traders established a trade link between Zambia (Livingstone, Kazungula) and the
neighboring countries the past 2 years from other AgriSmart communities with great results and income
for the chili growers under the AgriSmart programs. The traders already committed themselves to this
project with offers on the produce to the community.
AgriSmart is also in process to linking the community to Sun International, ZambonaChoice (a local
distribution center) and Food&Veg from Lusaka. This link will secure a market for the community for all
fresh crops under production.
Challenges:
 Marketing needs volumes to be sustainable. The project must expand to gain interest from
more traders to fill the demand on cross border trade to neighboring countries. There is a big
scope between the currently supply and the demand which provides an opportunity to expand.
 Consistent supply – the community needs to prove they can supply fresh produce on a
consistent base to gain trust from the market.

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OBJECTIVE E: To provide members of the project with training in business, entrepreneurship and
marketing skills as well as to provide relevant manuals for the community (crop
specific, safe use of chemicals and soil management) etc.
Prof Jim Simon (Rutgers), Emil van Wyk (COP AgriSmart) and Muunga Mapenzi (Manager AgriSmart
Provincial Manager) during training session with Lwande Community.
Accomplishments:
AgriSmart in co-operation with Rutgers University (New Jersey, USA) held training sessions with the
community on business, entrepreneurship and marketing skills. Prof Jim Simon and Prof Ramu
Govendasamy (both Rutgers) are world renown for their work with communities relating to training for
small scale farmers on all aspects for sustainable agribusiness. The community were introduced to post

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degree students from Rutgers on their work as researchers and the importance of analysis of data
collected, record keeping and crop budgets.
AgriSmart also held several training sessions on all aspects of production practises and post-harvest
handling.
Challenges:
 Not all community members have been trained;
 Community members need more training to be graduated as a AgriSmart accredited farmers;
 The community will need follow up training as crop production start after the first stage of
implementation.
Community participation during training.

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OBJECTIVE F: To provide support to the project with technical inputs on crop production,
harvesting, packaging and promotion as well as other resources.
Lwande after stumping and before land preparation
Accomplishments:
AgriSmart assisted the Lwande community to turn a piece of empty land into a high value production
unit with the funding of the Centre for Heritage Development in Africa. This project is a remarkable
success, especially if one looks at the sort time frame in which it was achieved. AgriSmart assist the
community in all aspects of the development, from stumping to planting, and with the positive attitude
and support from the community the end result is spectacular. In Lwande community we found a very
dedicated group of people with lots of potential to carry on with this project and with a good supporting
structure to assist them they will make this project a landmark success.
Lwande as it is now.

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Recommendations
 Electric fencing - this area of land is known to be a corridor for human – animal conflict
area, especially with the high population of elephants and the neighboring conservation
area that borders the farm. To safeguard the land as well as the community members
working on the land one will have to fence the whole farm of 20 hectare with an electric
fence. Care must be taken on the specifications of an electric fence – especially the
material for use as well as the voltage output. AgriSmart can assist with the required
specifications of such fence and can also link the community to reputable suppliers.
Estimated cost for fencing of 20 hectare will be around $80 000, depending on local
labor cost and availability of material.
 Store/ pack shed – there is no facility to store chemicals, fertilizer, tools and equipment
on the farm. There is also no facility to grade, wash, pack and store fresh produce after
harvesting. Post-harvest handling is a critical component of fresh product production,
especially to supermarkets and other high end markets like Sun International and
lodges. Food safety regulations require a minimum standard of facilities on the post-
harvest handling of fresh produce and proper facilities is an absolute necessity for a
project like this. Food safety regulations require for example hand wash - , toilet –,
drinking water- and safe keeping of chemical and fertilizer facilities on site. Currently
this is absent at the farm and we need to address this urgently. One store of 450 sqm
(15 m x 30 m), steel frame construction with concrete floor can house all above
mentioned facilities under one roof. Estimated cost for such store with equipment to
wash, grade and pack fresh produce will be around $ 95 000.
 Transport – transportation of produce to the market, input supplies to the farm and for
the community to the nearby town in emergency cases is of critical importance. Timely
delivery of fresh crops to the clients and market is an important part of any supply
contracts with supermarkets and hotels. AgriSmart have a special agreement with
Nissan SA for the NP 300 pickup (4x4) series with canopy and tow bar. We suggest to
purchase 2 of this pickups at an estimate cost of $50 000.
 Farm gate and guardhouse – the farm need a proper entry gate and guardhouse for
security purposes. Estimated cost for this will be around $8500.
 Tools and equipment – the community needs additional farming tools like spades,
harrows and hoe’s. They will also need more protection clothes (for spraying), spraying
equipment (atomized sprayers), harvesting crates and packaging material. The estimate
cost for these items will be around $4200.
 Training and technical support – AgriSmart trained with the help from Prof Jim Simon
and Prof Ramu Govendasamy (Both Rutgers University) some of the community
members in the basic principles of good farming practices. We will need to train all the

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community members and to graduate them as the project progress. The community will
need the supporting structure from an implementing partner like AgriSmart to give
onsite training and support. Experience in the field of funded projects show that
success on projects like this can only be secured after a minimum of 3 years support on
the technical inputs as with the first phase of this project.
 Operating costs – AgriSmart supplied all the inputs for the first cycle of production
(seed, fertilizer, chemicals, seedlings, transport, communication, admin and food). The
community will need support for at least 2 more cycles of production. The estimate cost
for the next 8 months will be around $18 000.
 Expansion – to make the farm more economic feasible (economical scale) one have to
expand the production area to at least 15 hectares. This will justify the costs on fencing,
pack shed and other above mentioned costs. AgriSmart can compile a business plan for
different models on request. We know there is a good sustainable market for chilli and
other fresh crops in Livingstone and our experience with cross border trade show there
is more than enough demand to expand to even more than 15 hectare.