Evergreen agriculture in Zambia

The document examines 'evergreen agriculture'—the integration of specific tree species into annual food crop systems—as a solution to low soil fertility and climate vulnerability in Zambia. It highlights two primary systems: maize agroforestry using Faidherbia albida, which significantly increased unfertilised maize yields to 4.1 tonnes per ha in 2008, and conservation agriculture with trees using nitrogen-fixing species like Gliricidia and Tephrosia. The brief argues that these practices improve water retention, reduce erosion, and sequester 2–4 tonnes of carbon per ha per year, with a potential aggregate sequestration of 50 billion tonnes of CO2 over 50 years in Africa. However, scaling up requires increased seed supply, expanded extension services, and supportive policy frameworks. While carbon markets are mentioned as a funding source, the document notes high transaction costs and measurement difficulties, suggesting that Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) may offer a more viable path for financing and implementing low-carbon development strategies.

• Evergreen agriculture, defined as integrating specific tree species into annual food crop systems, addresses soil degradation and climate vulnerability by maintaining soil cover, improving nutrient supply through nitrogen fixing, and enhancing water infiltration.
• In Zambia, the use of Faidherbia albida trees in maize agroforestry led to unfertilised maize yields averaging 4.1 tonnes per ha during the 2008 growing season, compared to 1.3 tonnes per ha in areas outside the tree canopy.
• Conservation agriculture with trees in Zambia, trialled since 1996 and adopted by over 150,000 families, relies on three principles: minimal soil disturbance (e.g., planting basins), organic soil cover, and crop rotation/diversification using leguminous crops and nitrogen-fixing trees like Gliricidia and Tephrosia.
• Evergreen agriculture provides significant climate mitigation potential, sequestering between 2 and 4 tonnes of carbon per ha per year, with a total potential for Africa to sequester up to 50 billion tonnes of CO2 over the next 50 years.
• Scaling these practices requires a massive increase in quality tree seed supply (4-5 times current levels), expanded extension services, and policy frameworks that provide incentives for natural fertilisation equal to mineral fertiliser subsidies.
• Carbon markets are currently limited by high transaction costs, complex rules, and the difficulty of measuring below-ground carbon, making Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) a potentially more viable approach for financing evergreen agriculture.

APA

Ward, M. (2011). Evergreen agriculture in Zambia. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Zambia-InsideStory_final_hi-res2.pdf

Chicago

Ward, Murray. Evergreen agriculture in Zambia. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2011. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Zambia-InsideStory_final_hi-res2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ward |first1=Murray |title=Evergreen agriculture in Zambia |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=December 2011 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Zambia-InsideStory_final_hi-res2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ward2011evergreen, author = {Ward, Murray}, title = {{Evergreen agriculture in Zambia}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2011}, month = dec, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Zambia-InsideStory_final_hi-res2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }