Feeding Families in Zambia – Walya’s Story

“Before ADRA, we were harvesting maize, but it was never enough. There was only enough for our family to eat. There was nothing left to sell.”  

Walya and her family live in rural Zambia. Like so many in Zambia, Walya and her husband farm for a living. But their harvest was only ever enough for their own consumption. With nothing left to sell, they struggled to provide for their family. 

To pay for essentials like school fees, clothes and medicine, Walya’s husband did manual labour. But it was physically taxing, with very little income.   

Walya says, “My daughter would come home from school crying because her uniform was ripped and her classmates made fun of her. ‘Every time I go to school my friends laugh at me’ she says. She asked me if she could stop going to school.” 

When ADRA started a farming project in Walya’s village, she was eager to join. The project, which is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP), taught participants farming techniques so they could get the most out of their harvest. Crucially, the project also introduced cassava and black-eyed peas, known locally as cowpeas. Cassava and cowpeas are staple crops that are resilient to the harsh Zambian weather.  

“Through ADRA, I learned how to produce cowpeas and cassava,” Walya says. “It was challenging at first, and my husband feared it was a waste of time. But I followed the farming training I received from ADRA exactly and soon after I brought home my first harvest.” 

Unlike many of the farmers around her, Walya sells her cowpea not for consumption, but for the seed. Walya is among a handful of farmers whose seed is certified by the seed control and certification institute (SCCI). 

“We grow our cowpeas for their seeds,” she says. “Three weeks after our seed was certified, we had people buying our seed.”  

For Walya, the first thing she purchased with the sales from her cowpea seed were school uniforms.  

“After I bought the new uniforms, the girls started going to school again,” Walya says. “School starts at 9am but my daughter goes earlier because she is so excited by her new uniform and school supplies. She is no longer bullied by her classmates.” 

These new crops provide enough income for Walya and her family that her husband no longer has to do manual labour. Instead, he stays home and helps her with the farming.  

“We are able to make much more than when he was doing manual labour,” says Walya.  

The diverse crops have also helped improve her family’s her nutrition.  

“Our health has improved, and when we stand on a scale our weight has gone up. I have seen the change that the cowpeas have made for my family. I hope to increase my production of cowpeas as I have seen how it has helped my family. 

“Without the project, things would have been very difficult. I cannot imagine how hard it would have been. Thank you to ADRA and Australian Aid for bringing this change to my family. ADRA has rescued my family.”

The FARMS project in Zambia is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).