CIMMYT’s research and innovation efforts align with Zambia’s medium-term goal of becoming a middle-income nation by 2030. For over two decades, CIMMYT has collaborated with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI), as well as public and private partners in Zambia to diversify maize-based farming systems, improve agricultural productivity and production, and address climate change, food security, and agricultural export goals in the region.
Key projects in the country, such as AID-I, SIFAZ, and ACASA, focus on bolstering the resilience of Zambian smallholders through increased market access, capacity development opportunities, and greater access to improved seeds and crop varieties.
Our impact
- CIMMYT supported production of over 170,000 tons of certified stress-tolerant maize seeds, covering around 7 million hectares of land in sub-Saharan Africa, including Zambia.
- The AID-I project enabled the production of nearly about 9,000 metric tons of certified maize and legume seed, during the 2022/2023 season by Zambian seed companies and community-based seed organizations, directly benefiting about one million smallholder farmers.
- CIMMYT works with more than 10 seed companies in Zambia. Annually, more than 20,000 tons of maize seed is produced by these companies.
