THE 2024 ZAMBIAN TRADITIONAL SEED AND FOOD FESTIVAL

The 2024 Zambian Traditional Seed and Food Festival

The 7th Zambian Traditional Seed and Food Festival will be held on 11th-12th October, 2024 at Munda Wanga Botanical Gardens in Chilanga District. The Zambian Traditional Seed and Food Festival addresses critical challenges in Zambia’s food production system, it also aims to engage stakeholders, showcase agroecology, influence and facilitate the exchange of traditional seeds and foods.

This year’s theme, “Building a healthy, resilient food and seed system,” focuses on celebrating and promoting traditional seeds and foods amid climate change, policy shifts and technical constraints facing small-scale farmers.

The festival will feature a range of activities including a roadshow, wellness center visit, farmer’s dialogue, and exhibitions. 

For more detailed information, please refer to the full concept note here

Why the festival? 

The Zambian Traditional Seed and Food Festival is driven by the urgent need to address challenges in Zambia’s food production system, particularly the vulnerability of rural communities, small-scale farmers, women, and youth, to external shocks like climate change and drought. The recent farming season has underscored the inefficacy of the current agricultural model in tackling issues like biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and food insecurity.

With potential policy changes threatening traditional seed varieties, the festival advocates for a shift toward sustainable food systems that promote agroecology. Agroecology offers a holistic approach that ensures food security while prioritizing environmental conservation, social equity, and economic resilience.

By promoting traditional foods and seeds, the festival aims to safeguard Zambia’s cultural heritage and empower small-scale farmers. It provides a platform for stakeholders to exchange knowledge, influence policy, and showcase how traditional practices can play a vital role in building a healthier, more resilient food system for the future.

Objective

To promote the preservation, exchange, and use of traditional seeds and foods, while raising awareness about their critical role in ensuring food security and nutritional diversity. The festival aims to encourage the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices, such as agroecology, that support environmental conservation and enhance resilience against climate change. Additionally, the festival seeks to influence policy changes that create an enabling environment for small-scale farmers, protect farmers’ rights, and ensure the continued growth and recognition of traditional food systems in Zambia.

Participants

  • Researchers

  • Practitioners

  • Farmers

  • Women and youth-led/rights organizations

  • Policymakers

  • Private sector representatives

  • Civil society organizations

  • Collaborating partners

  • Interested groups in agriculture and agroecology

  • Media

  • Academic Institutions

Themes of the festival

 

    • Building a healthy and resilient food and seed system
    • Preservation and promotion of traditional seeds and foods
    • Addressing food insecurity and climate change challenges
    • Encouraging the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices, such as agroecology
    • Advocating for supportive policies that protect small-scale farmers and traditional food systems
    • Enhancing food security and nutrition through traditional farming methods

Highlights

Information Hub

Agroecology Conference Brochure

First Day Activities of The Traditional Seed and Food Festival

Farmers’ seeds are an important part of the solution to climate change due to their resilience to local weather conditions. -Hlazo

Chilanga Member of Parliament Sipho Hlazo has applauded smallholder farmers in the country for their dedication in preserving traditional seeds. Honourable Hlazo said for generations, the seed system has been the backbone of nutrition security in the country adding that that farmers’ seeds are an important part of the solution to climate change due to their resilience to local weather conditions. He was speaking in Chilanga during the official opening of the Zambian Traditional Seed and Food Festival.
Speaking at the same function, House of chiefs vice chairperson His Royal Highness Chief Chamuka said the traditional seeds we plant and harvest hold the stories of our past, present, and future, symbolizing hope, renewal, and the cycle of life.
He further noted that the festival is a tribute to our heritage and a symbol of the diversity that makes us strong.

Speeches

Stands and Exhibitions

Video Snippets of the Festival

His Royal Highness Chief Nkambo poses for photo with PELUM Zambia Country Coordinator- Muketoi Wamunyima and other heads of collaborating institutions at the 2024 Zambian Traditional Seed & Food Festival
PELUM Zambia Farmers under the Markets and Seeds Access Project (MASAP) at the 2024 Zambian Traditional Seed & Food Festival

Second Day of the Traditional Seed and Food Festival

Entertainment by Zambian Artists

Mozegeta

Gallery

Proud Partners

ZAAB
PELUM logo
GIZ logo
FIAN logo
Caritas Zambia logo
kasisi-logo-final-landscape
CTDT
Actionaid_logo.svg
zccn

Festival Venue

Format

Plenary Sessions: Keynote speeches and high-level discussions on building resilient food and seed systems.

Dialogues: Interactive sessions, farmer’s dialogue traditional food, seeds and food security.

Exhibitions: Showcasing traditional seeds, food products and value addition processes

Seed & Food Exchange: Opportunities for participants to share, sell, and exchange traditional seeds and foods.

Roadshow & Visits: Awareness-raising roadshows and wellness center visits.

Keep in touch

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