A closer look at some of the problems Zambia faces --
-- and how Zambia Build will begin to create solutions.
Zambia is a proud nation with a wealth of human capital, a population ready and willing to invest in and labor for their goals. Unfortunately when it comes to improving its people's quality of life, Zambia must overcome some its largest issues: low land ownership, resources depletion, lack of sustainable job opportunities, and unsupported urbanization.
These are some of the issues we hope to address on a small scale in Zambia.
Problem : Low land ownership
It is nearly impossible for local residents who currently aren't earning any hard currency to qualify for any loans which would allow them to purchase
land and begin farming. Even those who possess arable land or can afford to rent it are still faced with the risks and costs of farming. Bad weather or sudden diseases can decimate whole crops, making it impossible for farmers to continue to rent or pay their leases, much less feed their families. Ambitious farming rapidly becomes over-farming that strips the soil and makes further crops impossible or unprofitable. Over-use of pesticides and fertilizers can have almost the same results. Then there is the high cost of purchasing and maintaining equipment as well as saving enough capital or product to reseed the following year. And it is as difficult to obtain loans for equipment as it is to gain land.
Solution : Land availability for agricultural jobs (Long-Term Solution)
Sepo Farm will ultimately offer jobs to farmers in Kaoma, based on applications that factor in need, merit, and experience.
The tools and equipment will be purchased, owned and maintained by the farm, funded by donations and available for farmers to use to plant and harvest crops, Raise Poultry for Eggs and meat production, and to make Cement Blocks for Construction projects throughout Kaoma.
As farmers gain experience with farming techniques and crop sales, ownership of certain plots of land can be purchased or leased, with capital from those sales going to fund additional projects.
Because each plot is a part of the greater Sepo Farm community, if bad weather or other unseen problems cause a crop failure, the farmer (and their family) is still supported by the other projects within the community. Sepo Farm will offer, through the teaching of volunteers and the mentoring of local leaders, sustainable farming methods that will protect the farm's crops, conserve the land's natural resources, and protect the health of the soil and land for future crops. Composting and irrigation systems will be an integral part of every plot's planning.
Our local leadership can also counsel on good business practices to help residents get started and gain ownership.
Problem : Resource Depletion
Because there are so few options for agriculture or sustainable business ventures, many revert to short-range strategies to raise capital, in many cases seriously depleting the nation's natural resources.
One practice is the clear-cutting of trees for firewood, often done illegally on another's land. Another is the widely used practice of burning entire fields solely to char the existing trees and sell the remainder as charcoal. In neither case is a sustainable plan in place to replenish these resources.
Most farming plots are cleared for planting by burning all the existing vegetation. This leads to unbalanced pH levels and deficiencies in important nutrients within the soil, which in turn begins a cycle of chemical fertilizers that can further damage it. Above-ground vegetation protects the topsoil from the ever-present winds of the winter, and below-ground root systems protect it from the constant threat of erosion and nutrient-leaching in the heavy rains
of summer. Fire-cleared land rapidly loses its nutrient-rich topsoil and can't support long-term farming without heavy use of expensive and potentially harmful commercial fertilizers.
Solution : Resource protection and focus on renewable resources
The availability of arable land presents a renewable resource option to residents. And when the land was cleared for Sepo Farm to begin development, all established trees where preserved for resource conservation and will help protect the soil and crops from wind and water damage.
We also planted banana and other fruit-producing, durable trees and shrubs between all
farming and business lots. These hedgerows will preserve the soil
and will encourage farmers and residents to use as much of the land as possible for long-term, productive and renewable agriculture.
Problem : Lack of sustainable job opportunities
With a population just below 13 million, Zambia counts only about 400,000 formal-sector jobs. What few jobs exist are often dependent on unstable sources or on foreign investment and management. In the major cities, which contain the vast majority of job opportunities, the big industries rely on either the
copper trade or tourism. Unfortunately the recent global economic downturn has shown how unreliable the income from both of these enterprises can be,
especially with plummeting copper prices, tapering foreign investments, and slowing tourism. For example, Zambian Airways, the national
carrier, filed for bankruptcy in January 2009 at the same time several key mines closed, resulting in the loss of over 4,000 jobs in one month.
Intensifying investments by the Chinese may seem like a positive trend for the nation, but many of these industries focus on stripping natural resources with little or no plans for renewal. Even the jobs these foreign investments create are not widely filled by local Zambian residents – for example, over 10,000
Chinese live and work in Zambia. And like many third-world countries, it is becoming common practice to exploit local workers for a foreign company's
benefit. The national government has several beneficial policies towards workers, including minimum wage laws. There are also provisions mandating that workers on contract with any firm for over 6 months are automatically made permanent employees, awarded medical benefits as well as housing and transport allowances.
Unfortunately, the nation is regarded by international investors as a source of cheap, exploitable labor. Most foreign companies, if they hire local Zambian residents rather than their own relocated populations, make a practice of firing those local residents before six months of employment. They know that
they can count on a continuous wave of disposable contractual workers not legally entitled to any of these benefits.
Safety laws are rarely upheld with Zambian interests in mind, and corruption among law enforcement means that wealthy investors are minimally accountable to the residents of the country.
Solution : Creation and support of sustainable jobs
The dependable income is still the local sale of necessary products and services: clothes, tools, food items, and the goods and services targeting the nation's largest industry: construction. The economic downturn has not affected the demand for these, and demand will only increase as the national economy
recovers.
Sepo Farm is not aimed at generating profit for its own sake, and so farmers and workers can sell their
goods and services at competitive prices and the proceeds will be split into compensation for their efforts and reinvestment into the operations on Sepo Farm to ensure a sustainable future. This will ensure their local profitability and security. Residents will be working in their community, for their
community, and with their fellow community members.
Rather than simple sustenance farming that yields enough food for a family to survive and occasionally enough to sell for a small amount of cash, these Sepo
Farm ventures will focus specifically on the sale of products for individual profit and the continuation of the program. This way farmers and
workers can purchase clothes, daily necessities, and additional food items, as well as pay educational costs and potentially save for the purchase or construction of a home.
Most importantly, our goal does not stop with the immediate jobs supplied by work at Sepo Farm. It extends to the next generation by providing the children of these farmers and workers with a successful example to follow and the potential for training in a specific field.
Problem : Unsupported urbanization
With so few existing opportunities to work and become successful in their own local communities, thousands of young people migrate to the nation's cities each year, hoping for the business opportunities they couldn't find at home. But with little funding for social support programs and a nation-wide shortage of wage-paying jobs, these individuals have no way to gain success in the cities, either. About 70% of the population live below the Zambian national poverty line, and 65% of the population are reportedly living on less than 1.25 US dollars per day. With urbanization rates spiking, the rural population (80% living in poverty) are shifting to the cities (50% living in poverty) but their quality of lives are not improving.
Solution : Support within local communities (Long-Term Solution)
Sepo Farm will provide between 10 and 15 wage-earning jobs in its first year of full operation at Sepo Farm, with
the intent to increase those numbers as additional lots are developed. As tenants purchase/lease property, those funds will go towards additional projects and potentially the purchase of more land for similar ventures – so the potential to create more jobs will be ever-increasing. Equally as important, the children of these workers will grow to view their own community as a viable place to live and work, a place where they can grow and be successful. This will help dispel the idea that the nation's cities are the only places to get jobs, which will in turn lessen the strain on those city's already overwhelmed support
systems.
Problem : Failure of foreign aid
This area and these people are not completely without international support. There is an existing stream of aid which is funneled into the nation,
everything from international aid and debt forgiveness direct from wealthy nations down to small-scale donations from non-profit organizations.
But this aid has not produced sustainable solutions, and in many cases it has caused more harm than good. Free aid encourages corruption and conflict while discouraging free enterprise and internal investment.
Unlike many of its war-torn neighbors, Zambia has been fortunately without major internal conflict since it gained sovereignty from the British in 1964. But this overall peaceful atmosphere should have produced far more impressive growth Zambia can currently claim. And no nation faced with millions of dollars of essentially free money could withstand the blight of corruption. Instead of investing aid money into domestic improvement programs and social support policies, this money is funneled into dead-end projects or the private interests of corrupt officials. And the stipulations included with this foreign aid often impose foreign concepts and values on its recipients, not taking into account the existing culture, traditions, talents, and assets. Worse yet, it engenders a
spirit of dependence which is detrimental to the creation of independent, sustainable businesses that support entire communities for generations. And supplies sent from individual donors in wealthy nations undermine the young free-market enterprises and small businesses begun by local residents. How can even the most intrepid businessman manufacturing mosquito nets in Lusaka stay in business when well-meaning donors in America flood his market with free nets made in China? Aid like this, though supplied with the best of intentions, is focused on one-time use rather than the larger-picture needs and
long-term solutions. Aid like this is short-sighted and short-lived.
Solution : Investment
We are not raising funds merely to send money or supplies to suit an immediate need. We are giving local residents the capital and supplies to begin small-scale businesses using their own labor, knowledge, and traditions. The businesses they work for will be sustainable and the profits derived will provide not only for their immediate needs but also for their future. These new businessmen can supply their children not only with clothes, better food, and more reliable shelter – they will also provide an example of success through labor and ingenuity.
They will be breaking the cycle of aid dependency.
-- and how Zambia Build will begin to create solutions.
Zambia is a proud nation with a wealth of human capital, a population ready and willing to invest in and labor for their goals. Unfortunately when it comes to improving its people's quality of life, Zambia must overcome some its largest issues: low land ownership, resources depletion, lack of sustainable job opportunities, and unsupported urbanization.
These are some of the issues we hope to address on a small scale in Zambia.
Problem : Low land ownership
It is nearly impossible for local residents who currently aren't earning any hard currency to qualify for any loans which would allow them to purchase
land and begin farming. Even those who possess arable land or can afford to rent it are still faced with the risks and costs of farming. Bad weather or sudden diseases can decimate whole crops, making it impossible for farmers to continue to rent or pay their leases, much less feed their families. Ambitious farming rapidly becomes over-farming that strips the soil and makes further crops impossible or unprofitable. Over-use of pesticides and fertilizers can have almost the same results. Then there is the high cost of purchasing and maintaining equipment as well as saving enough capital or product to reseed the following year. And it is as difficult to obtain loans for equipment as it is to gain land.
Solution : Land availability for agricultural jobs (Long-Term Solution)
Sepo Farm will ultimately offer jobs to farmers in Kaoma, based on applications that factor in need, merit, and experience.
The tools and equipment will be purchased, owned and maintained by the farm, funded by donations and available for farmers to use to plant and harvest crops, Raise Poultry for Eggs and meat production, and to make Cement Blocks for Construction projects throughout Kaoma.
As farmers gain experience with farming techniques and crop sales, ownership of certain plots of land can be purchased or leased, with capital from those sales going to fund additional projects.
Because each plot is a part of the greater Sepo Farm community, if bad weather or other unseen problems cause a crop failure, the farmer (and their family) is still supported by the other projects within the community. Sepo Farm will offer, through the teaching of volunteers and the mentoring of local leaders, sustainable farming methods that will protect the farm's crops, conserve the land's natural resources, and protect the health of the soil and land for future crops. Composting and irrigation systems will be an integral part of every plot's planning.
Our local leadership can also counsel on good business practices to help residents get started and gain ownership.
Problem : Resource Depletion
Because there are so few options for agriculture or sustainable business ventures, many revert to short-range strategies to raise capital, in many cases seriously depleting the nation's natural resources.
One practice is the clear-cutting of trees for firewood, often done illegally on another's land. Another is the widely used practice of burning entire fields solely to char the existing trees and sell the remainder as charcoal. In neither case is a sustainable plan in place to replenish these resources.
Most farming plots are cleared for planting by burning all the existing vegetation. This leads to unbalanced pH levels and deficiencies in important nutrients within the soil, which in turn begins a cycle of chemical fertilizers that can further damage it. Above-ground vegetation protects the topsoil from the ever-present winds of the winter, and below-ground root systems protect it from the constant threat of erosion and nutrient-leaching in the heavy rains
of summer. Fire-cleared land rapidly loses its nutrient-rich topsoil and can't support long-term farming without heavy use of expensive and potentially harmful commercial fertilizers.
Solution : Resource protection and focus on renewable resources
The availability of arable land presents a renewable resource option to residents. And when the land was cleared for Sepo Farm to begin development, all established trees where preserved for resource conservation and will help protect the soil and crops from wind and water damage.
We also planted banana and other fruit-producing, durable trees and shrubs between all
farming and business lots. These hedgerows will preserve the soil
and will encourage farmers and residents to use as much of the land as possible for long-term, productive and renewable agriculture.
Problem : Lack of sustainable job opportunities
With a population just below 13 million, Zambia counts only about 400,000 formal-sector jobs. What few jobs exist are often dependent on unstable sources or on foreign investment and management. In the major cities, which contain the vast majority of job opportunities, the big industries rely on either the
copper trade or tourism. Unfortunately the recent global economic downturn has shown how unreliable the income from both of these enterprises can be,
especially with plummeting copper prices, tapering foreign investments, and slowing tourism. For example, Zambian Airways, the national
carrier, filed for bankruptcy in January 2009 at the same time several key mines closed, resulting in the loss of over 4,000 jobs in one month.
Intensifying investments by the Chinese may seem like a positive trend for the nation, but many of these industries focus on stripping natural resources with little or no plans for renewal. Even the jobs these foreign investments create are not widely filled by local Zambian residents – for example, over 10,000
Chinese live and work in Zambia. And like many third-world countries, it is becoming common practice to exploit local workers for a foreign company's
benefit. The national government has several beneficial policies towards workers, including minimum wage laws. There are also provisions mandating that workers on contract with any firm for over 6 months are automatically made permanent employees, awarded medical benefits as well as housing and transport allowances.
Unfortunately, the nation is regarded by international investors as a source of cheap, exploitable labor. Most foreign companies, if they hire local Zambian residents rather than their own relocated populations, make a practice of firing those local residents before six months of employment. They know that
they can count on a continuous wave of disposable contractual workers not legally entitled to any of these benefits.
Safety laws are rarely upheld with Zambian interests in mind, and corruption among law enforcement means that wealthy investors are minimally accountable to the residents of the country.
Solution : Creation and support of sustainable jobs
The dependable income is still the local sale of necessary products and services: clothes, tools, food items, and the goods and services targeting the nation's largest industry: construction. The economic downturn has not affected the demand for these, and demand will only increase as the national economy
recovers.
Sepo Farm is not aimed at generating profit for its own sake, and so farmers and workers can sell their
goods and services at competitive prices and the proceeds will be split into compensation for their efforts and reinvestment into the operations on Sepo Farm to ensure a sustainable future. This will ensure their local profitability and security. Residents will be working in their community, for their
community, and with their fellow community members.
Rather than simple sustenance farming that yields enough food for a family to survive and occasionally enough to sell for a small amount of cash, these Sepo
Farm ventures will focus specifically on the sale of products for individual profit and the continuation of the program. This way farmers and
workers can purchase clothes, daily necessities, and additional food items, as well as pay educational costs and potentially save for the purchase or construction of a home.
Most importantly, our goal does not stop with the immediate jobs supplied by work at Sepo Farm. It extends to the next generation by providing the children of these farmers and workers with a successful example to follow and the potential for training in a specific field.
Problem : Unsupported urbanization
With so few existing opportunities to work and become successful in their own local communities, thousands of young people migrate to the nation's cities each year, hoping for the business opportunities they couldn't find at home. But with little funding for social support programs and a nation-wide shortage of wage-paying jobs, these individuals have no way to gain success in the cities, either. About 70% of the population live below the Zambian national poverty line, and 65% of the population are reportedly living on less than 1.25 US dollars per day. With urbanization rates spiking, the rural population (80% living in poverty) are shifting to the cities (50% living in poverty) but their quality of lives are not improving.
Solution : Support within local communities (Long-Term Solution)
Sepo Farm will provide between 10 and 15 wage-earning jobs in its first year of full operation at Sepo Farm, with
the intent to increase those numbers as additional lots are developed. As tenants purchase/lease property, those funds will go towards additional projects and potentially the purchase of more land for similar ventures – so the potential to create more jobs will be ever-increasing. Equally as important, the children of these workers will grow to view their own community as a viable place to live and work, a place where they can grow and be successful. This will help dispel the idea that the nation's cities are the only places to get jobs, which will in turn lessen the strain on those city's already overwhelmed support
systems.
Problem : Failure of foreign aid
This area and these people are not completely without international support. There is an existing stream of aid which is funneled into the nation,
everything from international aid and debt forgiveness direct from wealthy nations down to small-scale donations from non-profit organizations.
But this aid has not produced sustainable solutions, and in many cases it has caused more harm than good. Free aid encourages corruption and conflict while discouraging free enterprise and internal investment.
Unlike many of its war-torn neighbors, Zambia has been fortunately without major internal conflict since it gained sovereignty from the British in 1964. But this overall peaceful atmosphere should have produced far more impressive growth Zambia can currently claim. And no nation faced with millions of dollars of essentially free money could withstand the blight of corruption. Instead of investing aid money into domestic improvement programs and social support policies, this money is funneled into dead-end projects or the private interests of corrupt officials. And the stipulations included with this foreign aid often impose foreign concepts and values on its recipients, not taking into account the existing culture, traditions, talents, and assets. Worse yet, it engenders a
spirit of dependence which is detrimental to the creation of independent, sustainable businesses that support entire communities for generations. And supplies sent from individual donors in wealthy nations undermine the young free-market enterprises and small businesses begun by local residents. How can even the most intrepid businessman manufacturing mosquito nets in Lusaka stay in business when well-meaning donors in America flood his market with free nets made in China? Aid like this, though supplied with the best of intentions, is focused on one-time use rather than the larger-picture needs and
long-term solutions. Aid like this is short-sighted and short-lived.
Solution : Investment
We are not raising funds merely to send money or supplies to suit an immediate need. We are giving local residents the capital and supplies to begin small-scale businesses using their own labor, knowledge, and traditions. The businesses they work for will be sustainable and the profits derived will provide not only for their immediate needs but also for their future. These new businessmen can supply their children not only with clothes, better food, and more reliable shelter – they will also provide an example of success through labor and ingenuity.
They will be breaking the cycle of aid dependency.