NewsLetter March 2006

Pioneering New Solutions for Conservation and Rural Development in Zambia

COMACO Monthly Newsletter ? Reports from the Field

Zambia proud of its COMACO Programme

Special ceremony, officiated by Hon. Minister of Tourism and Environment, acknowledges COMACO?s success ? 768 firearms surrendered by farmers and ex-poachers handed over to Government.

Report filed by Ruth Nabuyanda, WCS Programme Coordinator

Reformed poacher, H. Chirwa, surrenders firearm to Hon. Minister Mpande and pledges to fight poaching.

It was one of conservation?s finest moments in Zambia. All who attended the event, hosted by Holiday Inn and the Wildlife Conservation Society, were on their feet applauding and rejoicing when the Hon. Mpande, Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources hugged an ex-poacher, Mr. H. Chirwa, who declared his sworn promise never to poach again and surrendered his own two firearms to the Government of Zambia. It was a powerful symbol of partnership and reconciliation carried by the promise COMACO holds for all poachers who want a better life from legal markets.

The highlight came when Chairmen from three Community Resources Boards, who represented those communities from Eastern Province participating in COMACO, presented to the Minister a total of 768 illegal firearms that local residents had surrendered as part of their pledge to cooperate with COMACO to promote legal markets and better land use practices.

Some of COMACO?s products on display at the firearm surrendering ceremony

A strong delegation of District officials from Lundazi and Chama Districts shared their experiences and views over COMACO?s performance with Government and Non-Government officials, including a number of diplomats, who attended the ceremony. They emphasized how thousands of families were now able to grow enough food and have an improved income because of COMACO?s commitment to improve trade opportunities for the rural poor. They also explained how improvements in conservation were becoming more apparent in their Districts with the increased participation in COMACO by a growing number of households. The District Intelligence Officer of Lundazi even revealed the reduction of prostitution and car theft, which he attributed to the good work of COMACO.

In his address, the Hon. Minister of Tourism thanked the communities for their dedicated service to the Country and assured the public Government strongly endorsed the COMACO program? ?COMACO has shown to be an important basis for integrating conservation with rural development, and my Ministry will fully support this program in order to achieve its noble objectives ?

From the products that COMACO produces and sells under the brand name ?It?s Wild!?, Holiday Inn prepared an exquisite selection of food delicacies guests were invited to sample. Mr. Adrian Penny, Manager of the Holiday Inn, was so touched by the efforts communities were making to restore wildlife in their areas through the COMACO approach, he offered a two week training course for each of COMACO three bushcamps to have their respective staff trained in hospitality services.

Rice production takes off with improved catchment of rainwater in Mfuwe ? Field report by Whytson Daka, Masumba Extension Coordinator

A woman opening a levee to refresh her field with more water as others continue rice planting.

For years residents of Lupande Game Management Area grew rice only on a small scale. They regarded rice as a minor food crop with little or no cash crop value. COMACO helped change that in 2006 by showing farmers how to increase rice production by holding rainwater in dambos with the use of simple levees. Eight tons of Chama rice seed having a 98% germination success were provided to over 600 households who cooperated among themselves to establish 5 large rice production areas by impounding selected dambos with levees. These households were from Kakumbi, Nsefu and Mkanya areas and the results were spectacular. Between 250 and 300 tons of high quality rice will be harvested in 2006. Residents from Chiefs Sandwe and Mwanya also established their rain-managed rice fields with equally impressive results..

All the participating families in this initiative were identified as food impoverished and low income. World Food Programme assisted these households with free maize to undertake the necessary work to build the levee system and to help convince them that increased rice production was possible and reliance on wildlife snaring was no longer justified. As COMACO reinforces these farmers with a favorable market value for their rice, this pilot project will now most surely grow in years to come. The Masumba trading center has already procured its rice polishing and packaging machines with assistance from the British High Commission and full-scale marketing to begin in June 2006.

Sixth intake of 21 poachers complete 6 week transformation course in Lundazi ? Field report by William Banda, Wildlife Extension Officer

ZAWA Ranger, Mr. Ngoma, congratulates intake of poachers for undergoing course and giving up poaching.

COMACO continues to expand its poacher transformation program throughout the Luangwa Valley ecosystem to convince poachers that COMACO offers better opportunities than illegal hunting. Poachers know about the program through increased exposure about the program over local radio stations and when new intakes are advertised, response is over-whelming. To participate, poachers must form groups of like-minded poachers and they all must surrender their firearms and select two who can speak English to represent the others at the 6-week training. On return, participants must convene training courses of their own to pass on their skills and then a set of inputs and tools are provided to the group. This intake represented 21 such group or approximately 100 transformed poachers who live on plateau area of the Luangwa cathcment, They graduated in March from a training convened in Lundazi.