by CARE Austria Team, on behalf of FoSTA-Health
October 16, 2024

Countries such as Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Tanzania are facing the challenge of making their food systems crisis-proof in order to reduce hunger in the region and provide healthy food for the population. FoSTA-Health is paving the way for more sustainable agriculture and food security in southern Africa.  

by Katharine Vincent and Willem Colenbrander
August 19, 2024

FoSTA Health team members Katharine Vincent and Willem Colenbrander share some thoughts on what they learned from exhibitors at Zambia’s national agricultural show in August 2024.

By Gildas Assogba and Rohit Pawar, Wageningen University; Anthony Malunga, CARE Malawi 
July 2, 2024 

In a previous post (March 2024), we had reported our experiences and lessons learnt while setting up field trials in southern Malawi (Mangochi and Zomba districts). In the trials, intercropping of maize with pigeon pea, groundnut, and soybean are being compared with maize-only cropping under different fertilization regimes; in terms of yields (grain and biomass), inputs (seeds and nutrients), nutrient uptake by crops, labour requirement and profitability. The broad objective is to ascertain the best modalities of integrating legumes within maize-centric production systems that dominate southern Africa. 

As of May 2024, harvest at the trial plots has begun: all the maize has already been harvested, and the harvest of groundnut was expected to be completed in early June is underway. Pigeon pea will be harvested in July.

By Willem Colenbrander- Kulima Integrated Development Solutions
May 21, 2024

 The southern African nation of Zambia has had to spend the past year firefighting disasters. In October-November 2023, record rainfalls triggered a historic Cholera outbreak which claimed more than 400 lives as it infected over 10,000 people. (More on that in this blog). Two months later, mid-January onwards, the long running El Niño over the Indian Ocean triggered a dry spell, which hit 84 of the country’s 116 districts, destroying the staple maize crop planted over 1 million hectares (out of a total of 2.2. million hectares), and creating a 430-megawatt electricity deficit (as hydropower dams dried up). In a country of 20 million people, as many as a million households are struggling with crop failures, food shortage, and loss of income and livelihoods. On February 29, President Hakainde Hichilema declared a national disaster and drought emergency.

by Lenka Suchá and Aneta Seidlová
April 22, 2024

Aspirations in food systems transformation: why should we care about farmers’ ambitions and wishes?

Aspirations can be understood as hopes or ambitions related to achieving specific goals and as perceived importance or necessity of such goals. Indeed, aspirations are not only formed by individual desires and ambition but also by the socio-economic background, and a variety of socio-cultural norms, that influence agency and empowerment. Therefore, aspirations might be considered a vital formative force of human (in)actions.

by Ruth Smith, University of Leeds
April 3, 2024

How many words is a photo worth? In Tanzania, FoSTA-Health is exploring gender and agricultural livelihood dynamics in the East Usambara Mountains in Tanga Region through the use of photos.