Markets, Food Security and Conservation: A Model for Rural Development in Zambia

Dale Lewis

Wildlife Conservation Society - Zambia

Developmental challenge:

In many cases in Zambia rural communities, particularly those in more remote areas, have inadequate access to markets and skills to mitigate some of the livelihood stresses caused by food shortages and poverty. These same communities are sometimes targeted by outgrower schemes to produce for large-scale commercial interests, which in some cases contribute to farmers’ over-reliance on cash crops at the expense of food production, thus aggravating problems of food insecurity. In response to such problems, whether caused by over-reliance on cash crops or simply a lack of better farming practices or alternative markets, farmer seek short-term solutions by sometimes relying on local natural resources with land use practices that lead to resource degradation. When projected over the long-term, these trends can contribute to loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Meeting the challenge, the COMACO model:

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has studied these relationships in rural communities living around Zambia’s national parks in Luangwa Valley, one of Africa’s most renowned wildlife areas. Studies show a strong relationship between the use of wire snares to kill wild animals and food insecurity. Development programs have not effectively addressed hunger problems in Luangwa Valley and as a result, chronic hunger affecting thousands of households is an endemic problem, costing annual losses of 3000 to 5000 wild animals.

To meet this challenge WCS developed a business-based approach that offers significantly increased market incentives to farmers who adopt better farming practices that will better sustain both food and cash crops. Unless producers adopt these practices, incentives are not offered. The approach, referred to as Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) operates through a network of community-based trading depots and support staff linked to a regional trading that maintains professional business/marketing staff to upscale commodities purchased, processed and sold as value-added products. By adopting various means to reduce overheads and transaction costs, the program is able to increase the price of some commodities by over 100% while meeting the cost of sustaining these trade benefits themselves.

Results:

COMACO has undergone an initial pilot phase of three years for setting up management systems for extension staff, accounting procedures, depot transactions, transport, inventory, product processing and product distribution and marketing. The model currently has three functioning trading centres with another three planned in the coming next two years. Its most advanced trading centre, located in Lundazi, currently provides markets for over 15,000 farmers, many of whom once snared wildlife to make up for food shortfalls. Collectively these three trading centres have targeted 229 known poachers with alternative skills and income options and have promoted trade opportunities for over 25,000 farmers. On-going work with trade benefits and associate guidelines for conservation compliance show much promise for addressing issues of soil erosion, watershed management and fire control.

Potential impact when scaled up:

By increasing the number of COMACO units (combination of trading centre and network of depots), appropriate trade opportunities and benefits that support conservation results through improved land use practices can lower management costs of adjacent protected areas, such as national parks and national forest. Moreover, synergies between the trading centres can reduce key costs of transport and marketing. Such combined benefits could further enhance tourism revenues in the national parks to justify investing a share of these revenues in the long-term sustainability of the COMACO model.