Zambian farming hero takes food safety to heart

Many Sundays you can find Mackdrina Kooze standing in front of church congregations dotted around Mazabuka in Zambia. Her message is simple. “We need to talk about food safety,” she says. “It’s not just about the taste of the food, it’s about the health of our families.”

Kooze is a small-scale farmer from Shimungalu, a fishing village on the banks of the Kafue River. She is on a mission to raise awareness about the importance of food safety.

After receiving training from the Lusaka-based Solidaridad Network, she has taken it upon herself to visit churches in her area to spread the word. The network’s #SafeFoodZambia initiative is a significant effort towards promoting good practices in food production and consumption, with a focus on fruits and vegetables.

The power of smallholder farmers

Smallholder farmers make up a significant proportion of the farming households in Zambia, accounting for about 75% of the total.

These farmers operate small farms with an average size of two hectares, relying on family labour and simple hand tools.

However, experts believe that despite their small scale, they have the potential to contribute significantly to food security in the country, especially if they receive the necessary support to drive sustainable production and adhere to recognised standards for farm and food safety.

A personal crusade

For Kooze, this is personal – she believes that her parents’ ill health is related to the pesticides they used during their years as farmers. Growing up, her parents farmed a small plot of land, using buckets to draw water from the nearby river to irrigate their crops.

“We used to do a little bit of gardening that we could manage,” she recalls. “But by the time we met our resource supporters who managed to help us with pipes, we were able to buy an engine pump through a loan. That’s how we became big farmers, growing tomatoes, onions, and lots of vegetables.”