Government, through the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, has officially flagged off the distribution of farming inputs under the Food Security Pack (FSP) Wetland Cropping Component across all 116 districts of the country.

The Wetland Cropping Component of the FSP is a strategic intervention aligned with Government’s broader agenda of strengthening household food and nutrition security while promoting sustainable livelihoods among vulnerable households.

Speaking during the flag-off ceremony held in Chisamba District, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ms. Beatrice Chilomo, reaffirmed Government’s commitment to improving the livelihoods of vulnerable but viable households through targeted social protection and economic empowerment programmes.

Ms. Chilomo noted that the Food Security Pack Programme goes beyond the provision of farming inputs by also offering livelihood skills training and agricultural extension services aimed at enhancing beneficiaries’ knowledge, productivity, and self-sufficiency.

She highlighted that the Wetland Cropping Component, whose caseload was this year scaled up from 40,000 to 120,000 households, forms part of the Presidential Irrigation Initiative, which seeks to promote climate-resilient and year round agricultural production.

Ms. Chilomo emphasized that the intervention is critical in mitigating the adverse effects of climate change, including erratic rainfall patterns, prolonged dry spells, and droughts, which continue to threaten food security in many communities across the country.

Under the programme, beneficiary households will receive agricultural inputs to support dry-season cultivation using available water resources such as dambos, rivers, streams, and wetlands.

“The goal is to transition beneficiary households from vulnerability to self-reliance by enabling them to produce sufficient food for household consumption and generate surplus produce for sale,” Ms. Chilomo said.

She further noted that the programme is designed to transform social protection from a welfare-based intervention into a pathway for productivity, resilience, and economic empowerment.

Ms. Chilomo urged beneficiaries to utilize the inputs responsibly and productively, emphasizing that they represent Government’s investment in improving livelihoods, enhancing food security, and building stronger and more resilient communities.

She reiterated Government’s commitment to building a food-secure and prosperous nation through increased agricultural productivity and year-round food production.

Meanwhile, Chief Liteta commended Government for enhancing the implementation of the Wetland Cropping Component which he says is improving the livelihood of citizens through improved food production.

He added that his Chiefdom is strategically positioned to implement the Wetlands Cropping component owing to the existence of the Momboshi Dam.