On 7th November 2024, Kasisi Agricultural Training Centre (KATC) received a delegation of 60 officials from Germany.
KATC receives groups of individuals from all walks of life for tours but this delegation was not ordinary, it was led by the German Minister of Food and Agriculture Cem Ozdemir, who came to the country earlier that week for a state visit.
KATC being a renowned agroecology training centre with a record of training about a million small-scale farmers in Southern Africa, Mr Ozdemir and his team could not leave the country without visiting and appreciating the centre’s work.
The officials came from different organisations in Germany that promote climate change, Agriculture, human rights and environmental health. They arrived at the centre in the afternoons on a Thursday and were received and greeted with warm smiles from the staff.
“The minister invited people to come with him on this tour, so I joined because I needed to see what this part of the world is doing in terms of agriculture, and I can say I am impressed more especially with Kasisi,” Philip Mimkes, the FIAN Germany Chairperson said.
“We have toured different agriculture centres in Zambia, but Kasisi is different, others are more scientific but here the approach is different, it is a perfect example of an all-inclusive type of sustainable organic farm and the fact that you are only implementing agroecology principles for over 25 years makes the centre stand out,” Mr Mimkes who was part of the 60 delegates said.
Moritz Tapp another delegate from the Young Friends of the Earth in Germany said KATC’s commitment to working with the small-scale farmers is truly recommendable.
“This is the last stop of our tour in Zambia and it gives me hope because I have seen what you are doing, you go out of your way to see to it that small-scale farmers have the knowledge that can help combat hunger and climate change, you should keep up your good work,” he said.
Split into two groups the tour began with a visit to the agroecology demonstration garden, where innovative farming techniques such as crop rotation, natural pest control, Bokashi and composting are showcased, they also visited the processing factory, livestock, agroforestry nursery and the dairy processing.
The officials were impressed by the centre’s holistic approach to organic agriculture, which emphasized the importance of biodiversity and soil health, they were also happy with how KATC has dedicated itself to community collaboration.
Speaking of community collaboration, the minister did not only visit KATC, but he went on to visit one of KATC’s trained agroecology farmer Alex Rupiah of Chainda Village in Chongwe district.
Mr Rupiah a lead farmer has completed many comprehensive agroecology training programs at KATC and he has also implemented farming practices, including a community seed bank.
“I call KATC a university because it has trained me and many other farmers in agroecology, i have done many trainings with KATC and for many years I have been implementing the knowledge on my farm,” Mr Rupiah said.
He said he was very happy to have been visited by the German Minister of Food and Agriculture at his farm where he showcased a variety of agroecological principles.
Mr Rupiah proudly shared his journey towards sustainable farming with the Minister, explaining how the training he received at Kasisi had transformed his approach to agriculture. He demonstrated the use of organic compost, crop rotation, and natural pest control methods that significantly increased his crop yields while preserving the environment.
“All I can say is thank you KATC for training and believing in me, I did not know that one day, my farm would be toured by great men, I am greatly honoured,” he happily said.
Impressed by Mr Rupiah, the minister commended him for his commitment to sustainable agriculture and his efforts to promote food security in his community. He then expressed admiration for KATC’s pledge to support small-scale farmers in adopting agroecological practices as a key strategy for building resilient food systems and combating climate change.
The minister also praised and commended the community seed bank initiative.
The tour culminated in a shared evening meal between the German officials and the KATC staff while discussing collaborations and sealing the bond between the two countries.
Before KATC the minister visited the state house where they discussed politics with the Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and Agriculture Minister Reuben Mtolo Phiri.
He also visited the School of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Zambia, where he spoke to students about scientific methods for increasing climate resilience in agriculture. He later launched a joint project of the German ministry and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) aimed at combating food losses and food waste.
The minister similarly visited the German-Zambian Agricultural Training and Knowledge Centre, which has been training people in climate-resilient and agroecological farming methods for more than ten years.
However, his tour started from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa where he opened the project office of the Agricultural Policy Dialogue (APD) together with Josefa Sacko, the commissioner for agriculture of the African Union (AU). This is an important project that will place Germany’s cooperation with its African partners on a new footing and aims to increase food security.
The APD is the first collaborative project of its kind between the AU with its 55 member states and a German ministry.
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