Rain-fed agriculture: risk or opportunity

A couple of weeks into this New Year, Zambian farmers have one main wish: rain. This is because their crops have not reached the harvest stage.

The rainy season normally starts beginning of November lasting at the end March or beginning April. It is the main planting season for all farmers without irrigation, with planting starting middle of November to Christmas. The main crop is maize.

However, the rain pattern in the 2012/13 rainy season has been unfavourable, posing a threat to the country’s staple crop, and consequently, to food security.