Blog Zambian smallholder farmers welcome climate-smart beans-beneficial insects-fruit trees synergy
Zambian smallholder farmers are set to benefit from the BRAINS project, which integrates beans, bees, and fruit trees to address agricultural challenges. This climate-smart initiative will boost productivity, diversify incomes, and enhance resilience to climate change through sustainable practices and strategic partnerships.
Belinda Kamwanga and her husband, residing in the peaceful countryside of Chongwe District, east of Lusaka, Zambia, have been doing subsistence farming for years, growing beans and keeping bees. However, their harvests have been very modest, averaging one bag of beans and five liters of honey per season. Lack of technical expertise has limited their potential for commercial agriculture, as they acknowledge missing the key knowledge needed to manage the complexities of farming and beekeeping.
A short distance away, Alice Musungilo’s farming journey has been filled with frustration. Her once-thriving 15 avocado trees suddenly stopped producing, leaving her confused and disheartened. After much disappointment, she was forced to cut them down, never understanding the cause. This failure dampened her passion for this type of farming, leading her to lose interest in pursuing it further.
If that wasn't enough, Alice's beekeeping adventure took a fatal turn five years ago when her bees attacked her landlord before flying away, never to return. Her six beehives remain neglected and abandoned, like a lost chapter of her agricultural odyssey. The hopes of Alice and Belinda have been reignited through the Building Equitable Climate-Resilient African Bean & INsect Sectors (BRAINS) Project, which will provide extensive training and sustainably empower farmers in climate-smart agriculture across three value chains of beans, bees, and fruit trees, with focus on good agricultural practice practices, marketing and partnerships.
“I have always relied on experience and passion for my farming, not formal training,” says Kamwanga. “With this project, I’m excited to learn, grow, and expand my potential in these three value chains, aiming to go commercial.”
Her colleague shares similar hopes for transformation, saying,
“I yearn for it. I’ve been farming without technical knowledge, and I believe that’s where I went wrong.”
Frame 2: Musungilo anticipates a complete rebound in farming under BRAINS Project after a series of disappointments – Photo by Yohane Chideya
Frame 3: Scientists from icipe and the Alliance inspecting a citrus fruit tree that has suddenly dried up in Nyamazana's orchard – Photo by Yohane Chideya
Just like Musungilo and Kamwanga, Flavia Nyamazana, a middle-aged farmer from Chilanga District - located 20 km south of Lusaka, has been battling similar shades of agricultural setbacks. Her 20-acre orchard had been battered with different kinds of infections, including drying up of trees, with some of the trees turning yellow with no answers to it.
Supported by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and implemented by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, through Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) and International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), BRAINS aims to address these production challenges by integrating beans, beneficial insects like bees and black soldier flies and fruit trees, such as mangoes, citrus, and avocados, into farming systems. This approach will promote biodiversity, improve soil health, boost crop yields and reduce the carbon footprint of farms by encouraging low carbon agricultural practices, making farming more resilient to climate change while contributing less to it.
Climatic challenges and BRAINS solutions
Bean farming in Zambia has made notable progress, with production increasing from 49,000 tons in 2021 to over 88,000 tons in 2023 (Zamstats, 2023). However, challenges such as droughts, pests, and diseases, especially bean stem maggot, bean leaf spot, and anthracnose (Kuwabo et al., 2023)—continue to pose significant threats. Additionally, while the demand for honey is rising, the supply remains insufficient, creating another challenge for farmers. Similarly, fruit trees face attacks from fruit flies and diseases, which often go unnoticed by farmers, who struggle to manage these issues, leading to long-term losses.
Building resilience, diversification and contributing towards nutrition is the core objective of BRAINS Project. The Initiative is addressing challenges affecting farmers in Zambia, by focusing on climate resilience, crop protection, and sustainable agricultural practices, including the use of biopesticides,
which are natural or biologically derived substances that control pests, diseases, and weeds without the harmful side effects associated with synthetic chemicals. These include natural predators, microorganisms, and plant-derived chemicals – providing an environmentally friendly solution for dealing with pests and diseases.
Furthermore, integrating beneficial insects such as black soldier flies and their derived products will boost productivity, enhance biodiversity and soil health, and build climate resilience. Black soldier flies, whose larvae are rich in protein and fat, will be incorporated as a sustainable way to convert organic waste from markets, food industries, and restaurants into valuable products, such as animal feed and frass fertilizer. Besides aiding honey production, bees will play a crucial role in pollinating fruit trees and diversifying farmer household income.
Leveraging on the private sector participation
Led by Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI), BRAINS Project in Zambia will bring together a variety of partners for various purposes. One of such being Plant Health Agri Limited, a local company supporting both smallholder and commercial farmers in bean seed & grain production and crop protection. Plant Health trades in common bean grain specifically sugar bean for both local and export market. Plant Health enterprises require 3,000 tons of bean grain annually to satisfy its local and export markets especially South Africa. To meet its grain requirements, Plant Health engages between 2,000 to 5,000 smallholder farmers spread around Serenje, Senga and Mbala districts of Zambia, of whom 60% are women and youth farmers. In 2024 alone, the company exported 800 tons of sugar beans (Lungwebungu) to South Africa, a figure lower than the existing market demand. The company’s Managing Director, Steward Moonga, is eager to collaborate with stakeholders to advance the BRAINS agenda by supporting BRAIN’s crop protection aspect.
Good Nature Agro (GNA), one of leading bean grain off-taking partner in Zambia. The company trades all year round with a focus on both the local and export market. GNA focuses on sugars, small whites (canning beans) and to a lower extent red mottled (Mulube et al., 2023).
Its annual grain requirement stands at 6,000 tons. To meet the company’s annual grain requirements, GNA engages and supports over 5,000 smallholder farmers specifically on beans and about 22,000 across its commodities namely soyabeans, groundnuts, beans and cowpeas. About 41 % of the supported farmers are women and youths. In 2024, GNA exported in excess of 2,000 tons of sugar and canning beans to South Africa, with the market still yearning for more. GNA incentivizes its farmer through GNA source where it provides production inputs on credit, training, on spot agronomic advice and a premium price for good quality grains during off-taking.
In addition to Plant Health and GNA, Afriseed is a longtime partner seed company to ZARI/PABRA. The company was excited to partner with ZARI/PABRA under the BRAINS umbrella. Afriseed engages over 2,000 smallholder farmers as seed producers, spread mainly in the northern part of the country. This partnership will be very important in supplying certified seeds of demanded bean varieties to farmers in the coverage areas. The BRAINS project comes at the right time when the company is expanding its processing capabilities from 3 metric tons per hour to 10 metric tons per hour through a new industrial unit.
Frame 4, 5 and 6: BRAINS will collaborate with Afriseed, Plant Health Agri Limited, and GNA to provide crop protection, agronomic services, and off-taking support
Key to agricultural sustainability
Mwiinga Mulube, a bean breeder at ZARI was very excited about the Initiative, highlighting its potential benefits to farmers and Zambia’s agricultural sector. He says,
“Integrating these three value chains is crucial amidst climate change- associated challenges such as extreme rainfall which results into flooding, droughts, pests, and diseases. If one value chain fails, farmers can rely on the others. We also want to explore how we can benefit from each value chain.”
National Coordinator for Horticulture Research, Emelin Mwenda, agrees, recognizing the knowledge gap between farming and research. She believes BRAINS will bridge this gap, stating,
“The integration is fantastic. Crop diversification on farm is key to minimizing the climate change effects still impacting Zambia.”
Alicia Sosa, Project Officer in the Office of the Canadian Commissioner to Kenya, who visited Zambia in February 2025, emphasizes sustainability.
“There are many opportunities in Zambia. Different players in this venture can learn from each other. Sustainable education is crucial—it will stay with farmers and guide effective agricultural practices,” she explains.
The BRAINS Project is a beacon of hope for farmers like Belinda Kamwanga, Alice Musungilo, and Flavia Nyamazana, to help them overcome challenges through climate-smart farming practices. Through the synergistic combination of beans, beneficial insects, and fruit trees, the initiative will enhance resilience to climate change, diversify incomes, and boost productivity. Through education, empowerment, and strategic partnerships, BRAINS is paving the way for a sustainable, resilient and prosperous future for Zambian farmers.
References
- Kuwabo, K., Hamabwe, S. M., Kachapulula, P., Cichy, K., Parker, T., Mukuma, C., & Kamfwa, K. (2023). Genome-wide association analysis of anthracnose resistance in the Yellow Bean Collection of Common Bean. PLoS ONE, 18(11 November).
- Mwiinga Mulube, Kennedy Muimui, Wilson Nkhata, & Eliud Birachi. (2023). Making Bean Corridors work; Lessons from Zambia.
- Zamstats. (2023). Zambia crop focus survey.
Cover Image: Zambia farmers are poised to benefit from beans, bees and fruit trees integration – Photo by Warren Arinaitwe
The Team
Jean Claude Rubyogo
Leader, Global Bean Program, and Director, Pan Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA)
Eliud Abucheli Birachi
Project Leader, Country Representative for Rwanda
