INSIDE STORY: The case for Evergreen Agriculture in Africa - Enhancing food security with climate change adaptation and mitigation in Zambia

This case study examines the implementation of 'evergreen agriculture' in Zambia, a system combining agro-forestry and conservation farming to address food insecurity, soil degradation, and the risks posed by climate change to maize production.

• Zambia's food security is heavily dependent on maize, but production is threatened by low average yields of approximately 1 tonne per hectare, soil nutrient depletion, and climate change, which is expected to cause more erratic rainfall and lower production.
• Since the mid-1990s, the World Agroforestry Centre and Zambia's Conservation Farming Unit (CFU) have promoted 'evergreen agriculture,' which integrates specific tree species into annual food crop systems through maize agroforestry and conservation agriculture with trees. This approach aims to replenish soils using natural fertilisers and indigenous knowledge.
• Evergreen agriculture provides multiple environmental and economic benefits, including improved soil structure, water infiltration, nitrogen fixing, increased soil organic matter, enhanced carbon storage, and the production of additional income, fibre, fodder, and food. The document suggests these practices could be integrated into a 'nationally appropriate mitigation scheme' (NAMA) to attract international support.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2011). INSIDE STORY: The case for Evergreen Agriculture in Africa - Enhancing food security with climate change adaptation and mitigation in Zambia. https://cdkn.org/resource/cdkn-inside-story-an-integrated-system-of-agro-forestry-in-zambia

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. INSIDE STORY: The case for Evergreen Agriculture in Africa - Enhancing food security with climate change adaptation and mitigation in Zambia. 2011. https://cdkn.org/resource/cdkn-inside-story-an-integrated-system-of-agro-forestry-in-zambia.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=INSIDE STORY: The case for Evergreen Agriculture in Africa - Enhancing food security with climate change adaptation and mitigation in Zambia |date=8 December 2011 |url=https://cdkn.org/resource/cdkn-inside-story-an-integrated-system-of-agro-forestry-in-zambia |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2011inside, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{INSIDE STORY: The case for Evergreen Agriculture in Africa - Enhancing food security with climate change adaptation and mitigation in Zambia}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2011}, month = dec, url = {https://cdkn.org/resource/cdkn-inside-story-an-integrated-system-of-agro-forestry-in-zambia}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }