Sow, grow, and thrive: a pathway to improve cassava farming in Zambia
- From
-
Published on
05.04.24
- Impact Area

For decades, women farmers like Maureen Bwalya from the Musa camp in Kasama district of northern Zambia, have upheld the tradition of cultivating cassava on ridges. These small piles of soil created by hand hoes, 30-50 cm tall and 50 cm wide are intended to reduce water logging and facilitate cassava growth. But forming row after row takes a significant amount of physical labor. Establishing ridges follows a traditional practice known as chitemene, a Bemba word which means “place where branches have been cut for a garden.”
Chitemene, a slash and burn technique once common in Zambia, involves cutting down standing trees in the Miombo woodlands, stacking the logs, and then burning them to create a thick layer of ash believed to enhance soil fertility. The ashen fields are initially cultivated with pearl millet and followed by crops like cassava. As years progressed, this method has been associated with adverse environmental impacts disrupting the ecosystem balance due to increasingly shortened fallow and recovery periods. However, with the ever-changing climate, Bwalya and other farmers recognize the need for sustainable practices that require less labor.
Related news
-
Niger State Partners with AfricaRice for Transformative Rice Production Growth: Targeting 10 Million Tons by 2030
AfricaRice28.07.25-
Food security
-
Nutrition, health & food security
-
Poverty reduction, livelihoods & jobs
July 22, 2025, Mbé, Côte d'Ivoire – In a landmark visit that signals a new era…
Read more -
-
RDA-IRRI champions climate-smart pest management for sustainable rice production
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)15.07.25-
Climate adaptation & mitigation
-
Food security
LAGUNA, Philippines (13 May 2025) — IRRI emphasizes prevention and suppression at the recent Inter…
Read more -
-
IRRI Drives Efforts to Scale up Agricultural Innovations in Bangladesh
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)10.07.25-
Food security
Bushra Humaira Dhaka, Bangladesh – In collaboration with CGIAR’s Scaling for Impact (S4I) Progra…
Read more -