Notes to broadcasters
Zambia is reeling from one of the worst droughts in living memory, triggered by the 2023/2024 El Niño weather pattern, which brought erratic rainfall and prolonged dry spells. Republican President Hakainde Hichilema declared a national emergency on February 29th, 2024, after over 84 districts experienced crop failure and more than 8 million Zambians were left food insecure.
The drought affected over 1 million hectares of cropland, particularly maize, our country’s staple food. Southern, Central, and Eastern Provinces were hardest hit. As Zambia grapples with these climate shocks, attention is turning to sustainable land-use methods like agroforestry and community forest management (CFM), which support both environmental restoration and agricultural productivity.
Agroforestry integrates trees and shrubs into agricultural systems, enhancing soil fertility, conserving water, and increasing biodiversity. Community forest management empowers local people to sustainably manage forest areas, ensuring both conservation and livelihood benefits. These practices are low-cost, accessible, and draw from indigenous knowledge and strong community participation.
Amid one of the worst droughts in decades, farmers and organizations are turning to these strategies to restore degraded land, improve food security, and generate income. This script highlights how agroforestry and CFM—anchored in community participation and indigenous knowledge—build resilience through soil regeneration, biodiversity protection, and sustainable resource use. It features voices from the field and expert insights to demonstrate how these solutions improve lives and landscapes across Mpika, Katete, Chipata, and Mpongwe.
To produce a program on agroforestry and community forest management, you may wish to draw inspiration from this script. If you choose to present this radio script as part of your farming program, you can use actors to represent the people interviewed.
In this case, please tell your audience at the beginning of the program that the voices are those of actors and not of the actual participants. If you want to air programs on agroforestry and the fight against climate change, talk to farmers who practice sustainable farming (agroforestry) and NGOs that support them. You may wish to ask them the following questions, among others:
- How did the 2023/2024 drought affect your farm or forest resources?
- When did you begin practicing agroforestry or participating in CFM, and what motivated you?
- What benefits have you experienced in terms of soil health, tree growth, crop yield, or access to forest products?
This script is suitable for a radio program of between 25 and 30 minutes. Production teams can use their own signature tune, and record the introduction and closing segments in their preferred style.
Script
HOST:
In today’s programme, we discuss the benefits of agroforestry and community forest management. As observed by many, Zambia loses roughly 250,000–300,000 hectares of forest every year. We would like to understand what organizations working together with farmers are doing about it. We will ask questions such as: What is agroforestry and community forest management, and why are they relevant to Zambia’s current climate and deforestation crisis? We will also help listeners gain a basic understanding of how trees are used in agroforestry systems on farms.
To help us answer these questions, we have Rebecca Snyder, the Communications Manager at Community Markets for Conservation, or COMACO, and Boniface Katite from WeForest Zambia, an Organisational Development Specialist and Governance Advisor. We will also be speaking with small-scale farmers who are practicing agroforestry in Zambia’s Eastern and Muchinga Provinces. Rebecca Snyder, you are welcome to this program. Please briefly introduce yourself and explain your position with COMACO.
REBECCA SNYDER:
Thank you. My name is Rebecca Snyder, I am the Communications Manager at COMACO. We are a social enterprise that promotes wildlife conservation and sustainable agriculture by supporting rural communities to adopt environmentally friendly farming practices.
HOST:
How many farmers does COMACO currently work with?
REBECCA SNYDER:
We work with approximately 295,000 small-scale farmers across 96 chiefdoms in Eastern, Muchinga, and Central Provinces.
HOST:
Let’s start with agroforestry. What is it exactly?
REBECCA SNYDER:
That’s a good question. Agroforestry simply means growing trees together with crops or livestock on the same land. By combining agriculture and forestry practices, it helps improve soil fertility, reduces soil erosion, conserves water, and helps farms survive drought. It also supports biodiversity by creating habitats for beneficial organisms. As a result, agroforestry can increase crop yields, diversify farmers’ income sources, and enhance resilience to climate change by protecting farms from droughts, strong winds, and extreme weather conditions.
HOST:
And what about community forest management? Why is it important?
REBECCA SNYDER:
Community Forest Management empowers local communities to manage and benefit from nearby forest resources. When communities have ownership, forests are better protected from destruction. To summarize: when communities manage forests themselves, they protect them better and also earn income from them.
HOST:
What results have you seen from promoting these practices?
REBECCA SNYDER
: By promoting species such as
Gliricidia and
Musangu, farmers can use leaves of these trees to produce their own organic manure and reduce fertilizer costs. They can also get some fuelwood sustainably through thinnings and prunings. These practices improve livelihoods while protecting the environment. Plant nitrogen-fixing trees like Gliricidia in your maize field for improved yields.
HOST:
What challenges do farmers face when adopting agroforestry?
REBECCA SNYDER:
There could be many challenges including access to good quality tree planting materials such as seedlings or seeds, and the slow growth rate of trees at times. I have to say that many farmers expect immediate results; yet agroforestry benefits take long to come. We address this through continuous training and practical demonstrations, supporting farmers with planting materials.
HOST:
We will take a short break, and when we come back, we will speak with Boniface Katite– who is WeForest Zambia’s Organisational Development Specialist and Governance Advisor.
SFX: Short musical interlude
EXPERT INTERVIEW WITH WEFOREST ZAMBIA (2 )
HOST:
Welcome back, dear listeners! Now let’s hear from Mr. Boniface Katite, Organisational Development Specialist and Governance Advisor at Weforest Zambia. Welcome, Mr Katite and thank you for being here with us!
BONIFACE KATITE
: Thank you for having me!
HOST:
My first question to you is this: Why are agroforestry and community forest management critical for Zambia?
BONIFACE KATITE:
In Zambia, many forests are cleared to create farmland. Agroforestry helps farmers grow food without destroying trees. Community forest management ensures that local people manage and benefit from forest resources, strengthening long-term conservation of forests.
HOST:
What challenges do you encounter when scaling up these practices?
BONIFACE KATITE
: Adoption of agroforestry by farmers can be slow because benefits of agroforestry take a long time to come, and it requires patience. Trees have to grow for them to fix nitrogen in the soil or produce enough leaves which can be used in manure making. Droughts, fires, and limited extension services also affect progress.
HOST
: Thank you for your time and very insightful information.
SFX: Short musical interlude
HOST:
Dear listeners, thank you for being with us for this special program. After our two first guests, now let’s hear from farmers who are practicing agroforestry.
Forty-year-old Bernard Mvula, a father of five, is a small-scale farmer in Katete District in Zambia’s Eastern Province. He is married and lives in Chilingondi farm number 8 in Katete district.
He is one of the small-scale farmers who recorded no harvest during the 2023/2024 farming season due to drought.
Mr. Mvula, welcome to the program! Tell us: How did the 2023/2024 drought affect your farm or forest resources?
BENARD MVULA
: Firstly, let me state that the drought and its effects are still dangerous. The drought in 2023/2024 was devastating and we harvested nothing. We only depended on food from the relief Food Reserve Agency. This was something completely new to us because for a long time our practice has been that when we harvest, we reserve some for consumption and sell surplus to meet household needs.
HOST:
When did you begin practicing agroforestry or participating in CFM, and what motivated you?
BENARD MVULA
: On our farm in Chilingondi, protecting trees has always been part of our family tradition. So, I have grown up appreciating agroforestry but a few years ago, World Vision, an international organization came through to educate us on the need to preserve trees because of climate change. Our farm is 75 hectares; we have reserved about 40 hectares for agro-forestry and our own forest for future use.
HOST:
What benefits have you experienced in terms of soil health, tree growth, crop yield, or access to forest products?
:
When I was 10 years old, we used to be told to take care of trees because of their timber and non-timber forest products, such as producing planks which were used to make desks for school-going children. Our crop fields are now protected through agroforestry, and soil erosion has been minimized. We are also thinking that the 40 hectares we have preserved can be utilized to start beekeeping. Agroforestry can bring double income — from crops and from forest products like honey, and some NGOs are also putting money aside for carbon trading.
HOST:
What would you tell other farmers or youth interested in joining agroforestry or forest protection efforts ?
:
There are many benefits in agroforestry. I encourage young people and farmers everywhere to start planting useful trees today. Trees such as mangoes and other orchard trees. Agroforestry will also be beneficial because the fruit processing plant in Katete District can provide a market for their produce and increase their income opportunities.
HOST:
How can media, especially radio, support awareness and behavior change around sustainable land use ?
:
Media houses should deliberately include programmes on agroforestry so that communities can move away from charcoal production. They should also bring experts on board to provide clear explanations and guidance on these practices.
:
What is your call to action for the government, development partners, and communities?
:
The government should take part and partner with radio stations to put in place strategies and programmes that encourage farmers to practice climate-smart agriculture and use technology more effectively. There should also be more messages and information shared about tobacco processing.
:
Thank you very much, Mr. Mvula!
We are privileged to have another youthful farmer from Mpika district of Muchinga Province.
Kindly introduce yourself.
:
My name is Boniface Chifunakwenda. I come from a
village in Mpika District in Muchinga Province. I am a 31-year-old married woman with a child.
:
How did the 2023/2024 drought affect your farm and family?
:
Actually, I am still recovering from this – it was really
devastating. This happened in my third year as a farmer, since I started farming in 2021 immediately after leaving university. Because of the drought, there was a reduced amount of water in the soil, which led to the drying up of the plants due to low moisture levels. As a result, my household income decreased, and all the effort we put into the farm was lost.
Actually, I am still recovering from this – it was really devastating. This happened in my third year as a farmer, since I started farming in 2021 immediately after leaving university. Because of the drought, there was a reduced amount of water in the soil, which led to the drying up of the plants due to low moisture levels. As a result, my household income decreased, and all the effort we put into the farm was lost.
:
When did you begin practicing agroforestry or participating
in Community Forest Management, also known as CFM, and what motivated you to get involved?
:
That was in 2020, when I was still at the university. At that time, we had a climate change and agroforestry course, which really opened my eyes and motivated me to go into serious farming.
:
What benefits have you experienced in terms of soil health, tree growth, crop yield, or access to forest products?
:
Among other benefits I have seen is improved soil health. Agroforestry improves soil fertility through the decomposition of organic matter and also acts as mulching. Apart from that, I have seen better tree growth, as trees act as windbreakers and help prevent soil erosion. We also enjoy forest products such as mushrooms, fruits, and honey. The trees serve as habitats for bees, which provide us with honey, and it improves the life in the soil that helps crops grow, helping with aeration and increasing organic matter.
:
Have you earned income or accessed food from forest-related resources such as fruits, honey, or timber?
:
(laughs with a smile) Yes, whenever we sell honey, we earn money. At this time, we are enjoying fruits, and as we enter the rainy season, we harvest mushrooms and sell them as well.
:
What would you tell other farmers and fellow youths interested in joining agroforestry or forest protection efforts?
:
It is one of the best business ventures to get into, and you will never go wrong because it has a positive impact, especially when it comes to climate change. It requires less labour and less capital. The plants are very affordable and require less attention or supervision compared to other types of farming.
:
How can media, especially radio, support awareness and behavior change around sustainable land use?
:
Really good question! It can do so through educational radio awareness programmes that explain the effects of deforestation and the advantages of afforestation, while engaging key stakeholders and relevant departments. This would help sensitize the general public on how to conserve land resources, promote sustainable agricultural systems, and ensure proper planning for plot and industrial allocation by local authorities.
:
What is your call to action for the government, development partners, and communities?
:
We need to understand and believe that climate change is real, and we can only survive through the government’s quick intervention to finance sensitization programmes and related activities. As a community, we must also understand that we are the government, and this world we live in is ours. Therefore, we need to adopt sustainable mindsets by protecting our God-given resources.
:
Today we heard how trees on farms are helping families survive drought, protect the soil, and earn income in Katete, Mpika and beyond..
Until next time, goodbye.
SFX: Closing music fades out
Acknowledgements
Contributed by: Raphael Banda, script writer, translator, radio, TV producer ,MUKWASU FM Radio Station Co-Founder and Owner and Journalism Trainer, Lusaka, Zambia.
Reviewed by: Edward Meleki, Agroforestry and Land Restoration Specialist at the Global Evergreening Alliance
Information sources
Interviews:
Bornface Katite – Weforest Zambia-Organisational Development Specialist and Governance Advisor
Rebecca Synder, Communications Manager at Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO)
Boniface Chifunakwenda, farmer, Mpika District, Muchinga Province
Josephine Zulu, farmer, Chipata District, Eastern Province
Benard Mvula, farmer, Katete District, Eastern Province
