Mining services provider Makor Resources and mining company Jubilee Metals Zambia have partnered to support the Zambian government’s efforts to provide agricultural inputs to subsistence farmers, following a drought that impacted on agriculture and food security in the country.

Ndola district commissioner Joseph Phiri joined Makor Resources CEO Brooke Bibeault and Jubilee Metals MD Ricus Grimbeek to distribute Compound-D and Urea fertiliser, along with drought-tolerant maize seedings, to beneficiaries across the Munkulungwe ward in Ndola.

This programme was hosted by the Bwana Mkubwa families who were resettled last year by previous mine owners First Quantum Minerals, and was also attended by ward councillor Lombe Kaweme, senior Ndola agricultural officer Zeniah Nambeye Chitema, civic leaders and community members.

“Our aim is to provide lifesaving support to subsistence farmers, particularly those who have recently resettled from their ancestral homes at the outset of the drought, along with those most vulnerable farmers,” says Bibeault.

“These farmers have faced crop failures, reduced harvests, critical food shortages and malnutrition, forcing them to adopt desperate measures like selling off essential assets or skipping meals,” she adds.

The beneficiary farmers of this collaborative effort between Makor Resources, Jubilee Metals Zambia and the local government included elders, the physically disabled and widowed women who rely on agricultural production.

Makor Resources and Jubilee Metals Zambia will also scale this distribution programme to the rural communities surrounding the Munkoyo mine in Kapiri Mposhi later this month.

This effort aims to promote sustainable agriculture, increase yields and improve livelihoods, especially in the face of climate change and environmental challenges.

Bibeault and Grimbeek emphasise the importance of collaboration to ensure that communities live in better ways in terms of the extractive industry.

“I will keep advocating at all levels for cooperation between large-scale mining companies to work together to improve the lives of the communities we impact and have impacted. It is not just good for business but also the right thing to do,” Grimbeek states.  

Many of the rural farms surrounding mine operations are disadvantaged, given tthe remoteness from the capital, rugged terrain, environmental risk, climate vulnerability and reliance on subsistence farming.

Moreover, households have minimal access to agricultural inputs, especially fertilisers, the companies point out.

This lack of access is compounded by unfavourable environmental conditions and limited access to profitable markets. These factors have affected agricultural productivity, production and income, subsequently contributing to high levels of chronic malnutrition and food insecurity, they add.

“It is crucial that we encourage other companies to follow the examples set by Makor Resources and Jubilee Metals. Their contributions do not go unnoticed and are a testament to the spirit of solidarity and community resilience that we cherish. Their commitment to supporting our communities is commendable and should inspire others in the mining sector to engage in similar initiatives,” Phiri highlights.