Local farmer Kaunga Ngoma looks at his maize field affected by drought in Mazabuka, Southern Province, Zambia, on March 20. EPA
Local farmer Kaunga Ngoma looks at his maize field affected by drought in Mazabuka, Southern Province, Zambia, on March 20. EPA
Local farmer Kaunga Ngoma looks at his maize field affected by drought in Mazabuka, Southern Province, Zambia, on March 20. EPA
Local farmer Kaunga Ngoma looks at his maize field affected by drought in Mazabuka, Southern Province, Zambia, on March 20. EPA

UK pledges £6m to train Zambian farmers in adapting to climate


Soraya Ebrahimi
  • English
  • Arabic

Zambian farmers are set to be trained in “climate-smart agriculture” techniques to reduce deforestation after the UK pledged £6 million ($7.7 million) to local projects in the country.

The country will use the funds on efforts to curb rapid agricultural expansion into forests and woodlands, help to protect nature and cut emissions from deforestation that contribute to climate change.

Farmers will be shown how to rotate and diversify crops, and use more efficient irrigation to prevent clearing of forests for agriculture and improve food security.

It will also support the planting of trees alongside crops in a practice known as agro-forestry, which can protect food plants from rising temperatures, provide wood and store carbon.

It will enable 100,000 smallholder farmers to be trained in the climate-smart practices at 200 new “farmer field schools”, to reduce poverty and strengthen people’s resilience to climate change.

Farmers will also receive access to digital technology such as a new app providing climate updates to help them cope with changing weather patterns, suggesting optimum times for planting or harvesting crops.

The investment is part of the BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes, a global programme to support projects that reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable land use and conservation of forests.

Officials said the funding was on top of more than £115 million it had already provided to the scheme since 2013.

It was part of the UK’s efforts to protect and restore nature and tackle climate change, building on the deal at Cop26 in Glasgow to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030.

"We can’t tackle climate change without protecting nature, which is why we are committed to helping other countries, such as Zambia," British Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho said.

“The destruction of forests across the world accounts for around 10 times the emissions of the UK – so we must do everything we can to safeguard our environment for future generations.”

The initiatives backed by the funding could cut Zambia’s emissions by around three million tonnes, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said.

It builds on the African country’s work under the programme so far, which includes 190,000 hectares now managed using climate-smart agriculture, 478 new farmer field schools, training 115,000 farmers and five million seedlings distributed for agroforestry.

“The programme has helped us diversify into new areas of farming, such as bee keeping and fish farming, enabling us to lessen our dependency on seasonal crops that are affected by droughts and other effects of climate change," said Chief Nyamphande of Nyamphande Chiefdom in Eastern Zambia, a community that has benefited from the programme.

“It is gratifying that the programme is getting additional funding from the UK, as its continuation is vital for the sustainability of the progress we have made in adapting to smarter, climate-sensitive agricultural practices in our province.”

City's slump

L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1

How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
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The Intruder

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One star

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Omar Al Suweidi (46kg), Khaled Al Shehhi (50kg), Khalifa Humaid Al Kaabi (60kg), Omar Al Fadhli (62kg), Mohammed Ali Al Suweidi (66kg), Omar Ahmed Al Hosani (73), all in the U18’s, and Khalid Eskandar Al Blooshi (56kg) in the U21s.

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Name: JustClean

Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries

Launch year: 2016

Number of employees: 130

Sector: online laundry service

Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding

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To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:

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Nemanja Matic (Chelsea)  £40 million

 

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic Released

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Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad) £9.8 million

 

 

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1921

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Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
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Euro 2020 qualifier

Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')

Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)

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Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

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Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

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Price: From Dh650,000

A German university was a good fit for the family budget

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Shared rental accommodation per month depending on the location ranges between  £200-600

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As proof that the student has the ability to take care of expenses, international students must open a blocked account with about £8,640

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Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
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Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
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Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital

Sri Lanka v England

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England won by 211

Second Test, at Kandy
England won by 57 runs

Third Test, at Colombo
From Nov 23-27

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Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4

'Peninsula'

Stars: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Ra

Director: ​Yeon Sang-ho

Rating: 2/5

Schedule for Asia Cup

Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)

Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)

Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)

Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)

Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four

Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai) 

Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)

Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)

Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 28: Final (Dubai)

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
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8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
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Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

Top goalscorers in Europe

34 goals - Robert Lewandowski (68 points)

34 - Ciro Immobile (68)

31 - Cristiano Ronaldo (62)

28 - Timo Werner (56)

25 - Lionel Messi (50)

*29 - Erling Haaland (50)

23 - Romelu Lukaku (46)

23 - Jamie Vardy (46)

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The Bio

Favourite Emirati dish: I have so many because it has a lot of herbs and vegetables. Harees  (oats with chicken) is one of them

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Her motivation: My performance because I know that whatever I do, if I put the effort in, I’ll get results

During her free time: I like to drink coffee - a latte no sugar and no flavours. I do not like cold drinks

Pet peeve: That with every meal they give you a fries and Pepsi. That is so unhealthy

Advice to anyone who wants to be an ironman: Go for the goal. If you are consistent, you will get there. With the first one, it might not be what they want but they should start and just do it

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Updated: March 24, 2024, 9:07 AM`