[{"bbox": [112, 77, 1147, 210], "category": "Text", "text": "investments, wildlife populations and nature are intertwined, struggling to strike a balance to achieve sustainable, economically viable and climate smart development and preservation of biodiversity. To maximise the impact and geographical coverage of support in the Landscape, the action will build upon previous and ongoing projects and investments by the EU and its Member States in Zambia, and regional initiatives, such as the NaturAfrica programme, targeting TFCAs in the Southern Africa region."}, {"bbox": [112, 223, 368, 249], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## Lack of land use planning"}, {"bbox": [112, 250, 1147, 594], "category": "Text", "text": "Even though the need for better and more integrated land use planning is well understood within GRZ authorities and among development partners, there is currently no baseline data available for the two main targeted landscape areas to support nor integrated development, following a landscape approach. Lack of strategic assessment of land use planning and management has resulted in poor definition of land for various uses. Due to insufficient technical and funding resources, gaps in available data, issues in land tenure and user rights, outdated or non-existent general management plans for national parks and GMAs, fragmented legislative framework, lack of policy support to higher segments in the value chain (market development, export promotion), the landscape continues to face unsustainable livelihoods, environmental sustainability problems and critical disruptions in landscape connectivity. This calls for a vision towards more integrated economic development and adaptation strategies for preservation, conservation and sustainable use of ecosystems. The recently EU funded DeSIRA/GPGC \"Zambia for Agroforestry, Biodiversity and Climate (Z4ABC)\" project, implemented by CIFOR, aims to adopt a land use planning with a landscape approach in the LZNP-NP area. The action will draw lessons from and build upon Z4ABC approach."}, {"bbox": [112, 607, 504, 632], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## Inadequate benefit-sharing mechanisms"}, {"bbox": [112, 633, 1147, 818], "category": "Text", "text": "CBNRM governance institutions are not sufficiently funded, capacitated and empowered to represent their constituencies in securing fair equity from profits made, sustainable use of the conserved biodiversity assets, tourism or other businesses. This often results in disempowerment and demotivation of communities' involvement in sustainable and economically viable natural resources management. Consequently, this contributes to lack of sustainable investments in natural resource-based enterprises, and related livelihoods. Support to efficient and equitable benefit-sharing mechanisms for local communities is essential to promote their sustainable economic and environmentally sound development."}, {"bbox": [112, 830, 644, 856], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## Persisting vulnerability of smallholder farmers (SHFs)"}, {"bbox": [112, 857, 1147, 1043], "category": "Text", "text": "Through the EU funded ENTERPRISE Zambia Challenge Fund⁴⁴, significant investments have been made to support 20 agri-businesses to date, which positively benefit smallholder farmers at scale. These companies have the potential to deliver improved extension services and access to markets to over 300 000 households across the country. The Challenge Fund is also creating an enabling environment to transform food systems, protect the environment and biodiversity, adopt new climate resilient, low-carbon and green technologies in agricultural production and to secure availability of nutritious food. A positive trend is noted that buyers are increasingly competing for SHF's produce; hence, it is essential that SHF are sufficiently empowered to negotiate a better price."}, {"bbox": [112, 1054, 1147, 1294], "category": "Text", "text": "The MCDP II - Scaling up Nutrition- Phase II (SUN II) Programme⁴⁵ implements nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions. Community-led actions, aimed at ensuring all-year-round availability of nutritious foods (e.g. promotion of vegetable, legumes, poultry and fish farming), proved successful in strengthening households' incomes. Over 1 203 lead farmers established 1 000 community gardens across 13 districts. 38 757 follower farmers are growing diverse and nutritious vegetables and legumes. With SUN II support, high nutritive value non-wood forest products in 8 districts have been identified for promotion, production, preparation and consumption. Access to community savings and loans groups to provide guarantees for input loans and leasing, has demonstrated to have eased the SHFs' financial situation when most vulnerable. However, the establishment of formal market linkages are yet to materialise."}, {"bbox": [112, 1307, 1147, 1466], "category": "Text", "text": "In less accessible areas, SHFs are still suffering from severe constraints in terms of access to both, inputs and offtake markets. Many SHFs appear to be unable to significantly and sustainably improve their livelihoods, due to persistent financial constraints at the beginning of the cropping season. Compounded by a lack of know-how and limited access to the latest agricultural technological developments and innovations, their ability to embark on sustainable agriculture is limited. Another disadvantage is that hardly any value addition is practiced at farm level. Much of the produce is generally purchased in a dried, but otherwise not in any way processed, form."}, {"bbox": [112, 1479, 1147, 1557], "category": "Text", "text": "In the landscape, the following investments will be made to support the scaling up of: 1) climate smart technologies, 2) innovation in production and marketing of healthy and diverse crops, biofortified seeds, fisheries and livestock for improved household nutrition and food security and 3) access to markets."}, {"bbox": [112, 1571, 587, 1596], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## Limited market integration of local communities"}, {"bbox": [101, 1624, 812, 1646], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁴⁴ 11 EDF \"Support to sustainable commercialisation of smallholder farmers in Zambia\"."}, {"bbox": [101, 1646, 778, 1668], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁴⁵ SUN II Programme is being funded by FCDO, EU, Sweden, Germany and Ireland."}, {"bbox": [1062, 1670, 1157, 1690], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 9 of 26"}]