Harewelle News

PMTC (Zambia) leading Annual Review of Programme for Luapula Agricultural and Rural Development

PMTC(Zambia) has been contracted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland to provide the lead consultant, Jim Parker, to undertake the first annual review of the Programme for Luapula Agricultural and Rural Development.

PLARD II is a four-year programme that runs from January 2011 to January 2015. The programme is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MACO) and the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development (MLFD), with technical assistance provided by a Finnish consultancy company, Finnish Consulting Group (FCG).

The overall objective of PLARD II is:

• To achieve an efficient, competitive and sustainable agricultural and fisheries sector, ensuring increased income and food security for the people of Luapula Province.

This objective is to be achieved through the following closely interlinked components:

• Agribusiness development that aims to raise farm incomes and enhance household wealth through support to groups-based, participatory approach to “farming as a business’’ and value chain development of 1-2 specific products. 
• Agriculture based on improving crop and livestock production for food security and livelihood resilience purposes through a Commodity Study Group approach.
• Capture fisheries, focusing on developing sustainable co-management systems and structures for the two large fisheries in Luapula Province: Lakes Mweru-Luapula and Bangweulu.
• Aquaculture with a focus on promoting fish farming for food security and income generation, mostly in the upland areas of the province and enhancing Crop - Aquaculture –Livestock integration.
• Institutional and organisational capacity development of MACO/MLFD, focusing on, strengthening the financial management, procurement, planning, monitoring and evaluation systems and increasing MACO/MLFD capacity to effectively coordinate with other actors in agriculture / fisheries.

PMTC(Zambia) is also currently implementing the 5 year programme ‘Support to Civil Society Organisations in Environmental Protection in Zambia’ project which is co-founded by the Royal Danish Embassy and the Embassy of Finland in Zambia.