by Anna Manourova and Bohdan Lojka
Members of Czech national EURAF group (Czech Agroforestry Association), namely Anna Manourova and Bohdan Lojka, have spent two weeks in Zambia, particularly its Western province (Barotseland), as a part of a broader team working on the development project focused on local farmers’ agri-business improvement and financed by The Czech Development Cooperation.
The main aim was to teach students about agroforestry practices at the local University of Barotseland and to identify potential multipurpose indigenous tree species, which may contribute to product diversification and improve livelihood strategies of rural communities. The agroforestry lecture was of a great success with nearly 50 students creating a living audience, asking canny questions. In the field, the team managed to detect about 12 different underutilized trees worth noticing, mainly fruit and oil species.
As the projects in Zambia will continue for at least two more years, we will make sure that agroforestry will always play an important role in local agribusiness planning, whereas it will be seriously valued on the educational level as well.
