Catastrophic flooding devastates Zambia, displaces thousands

The year has certainly started off with speed and intensity. Between
January and February this year, we have spent some time with farmers in
the Southern parts of South Africa. Not only did the floods hit farmers in South Africa hard, but Zambia, as well.

Seeing the damage after the heavy rains is truly heart-breaking. The season
looked set to be a good one, but recordbreaking rainfall has turned into a nightmare for farmers. Looking at the statistics of the floods in Zambia early February, it has affected over 20 000 citizens.

In this context, IWMI International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has
come forward with the offer of support for post-flood recovery strategy development, as well as the strengthening of digital climate agro-advisory services.

Good news for livestock farmers in Africa

Global animal health company, Zoetis, recently renewed their co-funding with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to advance the health and productivity of dairy, beef, poultry and fish producers in seven new countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Zoetis is pleased to receive a $15,3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to further develop and integrate innovative solutions to advance veterinary care and diagnostic services that will ultimately improve livestock health and productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Some highlights of this month’s edition:

Our cover story tells more about John Deere AME’s Construction,
Mining and Quarrying Division’s announcement of its focus on investing in industry-standard training programmes for operators. Did you know that pineapples (one of my favourite fruits), is low in calories and rich in vitamin C, minerals, and fibre.

In this month’s Fruit Production article, we take a look at pineapple production and how you can farm it profitably. Make sure you save the dates for the annual Agritech Expo marked on your calendar from 20 to 22 April 2023.

Visit https://www.agritech-expo.com/ for more information. We are excited
to announce that the ProAgri-team will also attend the expo. Stop by, get
your latest copy of ProAgri Zambia, and chat with us. We look forward to
seeing you there!

As a brand and a publication, we are always looking for new, impactful ways to tell the stories of agriculture in our communities and on our continent. We want to hear from you, where you are, how you are, what you are doing and planning. Reach out to me by sending an e-mail to bianca@proagri.co.za. I look forward to hearing your story.

ProAgri greetings
Bianca Henning – bianca@proagri.co.za