Better Life Alliance in Zambia: Climate change mitigation as a co-benefit of improved landscape, agroforestry, soil, and fertilizer management

The Better Life Alliance (BLA) was a 4-year project in Zambia's Luangwa valley that linked smallholder farmers to market incentives to promote sustainable land management and conservation. The project achieved a potential greenhouse gas emission reduction of –902,531 tCO2e/yr, primarily through avoiding savanna degradation and conversion. BLA also improved soil fertility via agro-ecological practices and reduced postharvest losses for groundnuts, maize, rice, and soybeans, thereby lowering emission intensity per unit of production.

• The Better Life Alliance (BLA), a 4-year project established in 2011 and funded by the Feed the Future (FTF) initiative, aimed to reduce poverty and improve conservation and sustainable land management in Zambia's Luangwa valley by linking smallholder farmers to market incentives. The project provided capacity building for conservation practices and introduced natural resource management plans to protect wildlife habitats from being converted to agricultural land.
• Analysis of the BLA project indicates a potential reduction in greenhouse gas emissions estimated at –902,531 tCO2e/yr, which is equivalent to saving 2,089,550 barrels of oil. Approximately 85% of this reduction is attributed to the avoidance of conversion and savanna degradation.
• BLA implemented a comprehensive soil fertility management strategy using agro-ecological methods, including minimal tillage, cover crops, planting nitrogen-fixing trees, and recycling organic farm resources. Additionally, the project decreased emission intensity for specific crops by reducing postharvest loss (PHL): groundnuts (–100%), maize (–40%), rice (–80%), and soybeans (–67%).

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2016). Better Life Alliance in Zambia: Climate change mitigation as a co-benefit of improved landscape, agroforestry, soil, and fertilizer management. https://cdkn.org/resource/better-life-alliance-in-zambia-climate-change-mitigation-as-a-co-benefit-of-improved-landscape-agroforestry-soil-and-fertilizer-management-2

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. Better Life Alliance in Zambia: Climate change mitigation as a co-benefit of improved landscape, agroforestry, soil, and fertilizer management. 2016. https://cdkn.org/resource/better-life-alliance-in-zambia-climate-change-mitigation-as-a-co-benefit-of-improved-landscape-agroforestry-soil-and-fertilizer-management-2.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=Better Life Alliance in Zambia: Climate change mitigation as a co-benefit of improved landscape, agroforestry, soil, and fertilizer management |date=9 December 2016 |url=https://cdkn.org/resource/better-life-alliance-in-zambia-climate-change-mitigation-as-a-co-benefit-of-improved-landscape-agroforestry-soil-and-fertilizer-management-2 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2016better, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{Better Life Alliance in Zambia: Climate change mitigation as a co-benefit of improved landscape, agroforestry, soil, and fertilizer management}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2016}, month = dec, url = {https://cdkn.org/resource/better-life-alliance-in-zambia-climate-change-mitigation-as-a-co-benefit-of-improved-landscape-agroforestry-soil-and-fertilizer-management-2}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }