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| ZERO EMISSIONS RESEARCH INITIATIVE (ZERI) | |
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ZAMBIA
ZERI Activities in Zambia Water hyacinth is a plant with such beauty, a plant with such as enormous photosynthetic efficiency; a plant which grows so fast (doubling its weight every six to twenty days); and a plant which behaves like a powerful sponge that absorbs the valuable inorganic minerals that are eroded from the land and discharged into the water bodies where it grows, and which concentrates them in its tissues to levels which can be hundred times more than those in the ambient water……., such a plant should not be looked as an enemy! ZERI activities in Zambia will concentrate in harvesting the water hyacinth weed, and step by step elaborate and demonstrate the valuable economic value of the weed, including using it as a substrate for cultivating oyster mushrooms. The weed will also be used in biogas energy generation, for sewage treatment, for furniture manufacture, etc. Villagers will be educated on all these various uses and assisted to acquire appropriate technologies, and credit facilities, which will help them to initiate the production of many value-added marketable products based on the water hyacinth mass. Zambia also hold great promise in the cultivation of mushrooms. ZERI will work out modalities in order to cultivate mushrooms using a range of material as substrates including maize cobs, maize straw, sugar cane bagasse, cashwenuts residues, sorghum straw, cotton wastes, groundnut shell, sunflower wastes, wild grass, sawdust, water hyacinth biomass, etc. Ganodrma lucidum will also be produced for use as dietary supplements for promoting the people's body fitness. Relevant stakeholders in the country are discussing the idea, which constitute the ZERI entry point. This provides potential of generating many new jobs for women and the youth of Zambia. The interest in the farming of Ganoderma and is working to provide technical assistance from the Government of the People Republic of China. Zambia has both gypsum and limestone deposits. Another promising ZERI activity in the country is the promotion and production of compacted Clay-gypsum low-cost bricks for sustainable housing development. UNDP Zambia will work closely with the ZERI Africa programme to explore the idea towards promoting job opportunities amongst the youth. UNDP Zambia is also working with AFRICARE in establishing youth development centres in Zambia, which involve the adoption of the Songhai Centre ZERI model. The project is generated with an earlier Belgium-funded (started in 1997), also with a mushroom production focus, which had involved the University. The scientific leadership and the co-ordinating role, is being provided by the University of Zambia of School of Agriculture (Crop Science Department). The achievements to-date has been very good. Several mushroom farming training workshop have been organized; and good quality mushroom cultures and spawn are being developed by the national team, for dissemination to interested farmers. Over 500 people have been trained to-date, most of them women and the youth. Between the period September 2002 and May 2003, a total of 131 farmers were trained, of whom two-thirds were women. The growing community of mushroom farmers, who have begun to establish dynamic mushroom business enterprises in the country, clearly demonstrate that strong success is coming. Indeed, it has been estimated that during the period June 2002 to April 2003, 12.5 tonnes of oyster mushrooms were produced. The farmers have organized themselves into Farmers Groups. So far there are three women clubs, and one mixed farmers group. Additionally, the national co-ordinating team is empowering women prisoners in Lusaka with mushroom farming skills: an innovative rehabilitation activity which will turn the prisoners into more productive citizens in society, when they leave prison. These too have organized themselves into a farmer’s group. General Information about Zambia |
