Income Diversification

COMACO:  INCOME DIVERSITY REDUCES POVERTY!

Specific Targeted Activities
      Increases in Beekeeping
Honey farming is a project specifically designed to provide dry season income to discourage the illegal charcoal trade threatening the forests of Luangwa Valley.  While honey farming is still small and localized compared to crop farming, there are now 4894 households participating in the COMACO beekeeping and honey production program in the Luangwa Valley! Most of these households also farm crops, so honey production represents a way to diversify income and improved security to most if not all of these participating farmers. Over 866 new top bar frame hives have been purchased from COMACO by honey producer groups this past year, bringing the total in use to 4644.

The number of farmers who had honey to sell to COMACO has grown from 98 farmers during the honey project’s first year in the 2005/6 farming season, to 960 farmers during the 2008/8 honey harvest. Of these participating beekeepers, 612 qualified for conservation dividend payments by strict adherence to COMACO conservation practices. 

Increases in Crop Varieties
Increasing crop variety is a crucial element of food security. COMACO has introduced rice farming, groundnut production and cassava plantations to area farm groups. As a result, the number of different food crops contributing to member income has increased from 10 to 16 during the 2008-9 season, with very significant increases in percent grown by crop.  The increase in crop number this past season is attributed to introduction of three additional legumes: sugar beans, soybeans and cowpeas. 

Rice and cassava production, crops which are particularly important in providing food security during harsh weather seasons, have increased appreciably since inception. The table below compares total number and percent of member farmers sampled who grew specified grain crops (maize, millet, sorghum, and rice) or cassava in 2000 compared to 2009.  The number of rice growers has increased five-fold, which correlates with the increased commodity price by an amount of almost three-fold since the beginning of COMACO. Cassava growers have increased over ten-fold, though many households remain without cassava.  There is likelihood that cassava is more commonly grown than presented in the data, as many households do not regard it as an actual crop and tend to understate it.  Percentages of farmers growing maize, millet and sorghum, long staple crops of the Luangwa Valley, have not changed appreciably.

More COMACO farmers grow rice and ground nuts than area non-member farmers, a statistic supported by increased levels of rice and groundnuts purchased at the depots in 2008.

At the same time, average yields are increasing with the use of the conservation farming techniques taught by COMACO. In 2006, COMACO undertook a detailed study of actual crop harvests for fields using conservation farming with compost and non-conservation farming by counting rows and maize cobs in a fixed area and extrapolating to actual field size using GPS-determined areas.   Based on this work, farmers who adopted conservation farming with compost harvested on average 15% higher yields than those who did not practice conservation farming.  This translated into higher earnings for COMACO farmers per crop studied than independent farmers, with the exception of cotton – a crop with outside support. These earnings are shown in the accompanying graph.

Animal Husbandry

The Chicken or the Egg: As of last survey in the 2008-9 season, 2526 households are actively involved in poultry production using the COMACO vaccination and husbandry program. A total of 200 vials of vaccine were distributed, indicating adherence to COMACO practices. Egg sales are the most common commercial aspect of poultry keeping, much of which is local and therefore not easily tracked.

Goats are now being kept by 1957 COMACO households, and 187 additional goats were distributed through purchase from CTCs in the 2008-9 season. This new initiative promises to expand rapidly.

COMACO fish farming is another popular activity among transformed poachers. Introduced to provide another income earning protein source, 78 new households joining the project in 2008-9 season, bringing the total number of COMACO households participating in fish farming to 972.

During the 2008-9 season, 10,900 fish fingerlings were purchased by fish farmers to stock the 150+ ponds now under active management by fish farming producer groups.