A dancer during a cultural performance at the World Environment Day celebration. Photo by Lydia Amanzi/CIFOR-ICRAF

Higher temperatures and lower rainfall due to climate change are impacting agriculture in Zambia, contributing to poverty in many households. 

To combat this, agroforestry is being promoted by the government alongside partners such as the Centre for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), through its Zambia Agroforestry for Biodiversity and Climate (Z4ABC) initiative.

Part of its mandate is to raise awareness about environmental conservation through school programmes. On June 5th—World Environment Day—over 450 pupils from the primary and secondary schools in the town of Mpanshya in Rufunsa District joined CIFOR-ICRAF for a learning event and cultural celebration.

“If we are the problem creators, we can be the solution,” declared a group of girls from Mpanshya Primary School’s conservation club. They urged policymakers to take serious action against deforestation and land degradation, and encouraged their peers to become involved in such efforts, too.

The school’s head teacher Ashwel Mufundisi highlighted the importance of ‘starting young’. “Right now, our students are children, but in a few years they will be adults, living in different parts of the country and continuing to share skills and knowledge on environmental care.”

“World Environment Day provides a platform for collective action,” said Hellen Makumba, head teacher at Mpanshya Secondary School. “It helps amplify voices and strengthens pupils’ commitment to impactful change.”

Rhett Harrison, a senior landscape ecologist at CIFOR-ICRAF, emphasized the cultural benefits of tree conservation. “We need to take care of our forests and natural habitats to continue enjoying them,” he said. “We know what to do: the question is, are we willing to do it?”

As a practical step, pupils planted various indigenous and exotic tree varieties, including avocado (Persea americana), mango (Mangifera indica), Mexican apple (Casimiroa edulis), pomegranate (Punica granatum), tamarind (Tamarindus indica), guava (Psidium guajava), lemon (Citrus limon), baobab (Adansonia digitata), and water berry (Syzygium cordatum). 

“Our hope is that this action will have a ripple effect, motivating pupils to plant trees at home and encourage their communities,” said Petros Chavula, a CIFOR-ICRAF research fellow leading the school awareness campaigns.

Students and staff team up to plant trees on the school grounds. Photo by Lydia Amanzi/CIFOR-ICRAF

Meanwhile, in the city of Lusaka—150 kilometres away from Rufunsa—CIFOR-ICRAF staff members participated in Environment Day celebrations at the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment.

The event highlighted the collective and concerted effort needed for land restoration and enhancing drought resilience in Zambia, and included senior government officials, youth representatives, and a range of other stakeholders.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Zambia, Beatrice Mutali, represented by James Wakiaga of the United Nations Development Programme, stressed that the far-reaching and long-lasting effects of environmental degradation pose a serious threat to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. “We can no longer afford to plan and act in a business-as-usual manner,” they said, “as the consequences would be disastrous.”

CIFOR-ICRAF project officer Chipo Chisonga emphasized the crucial importance of ongoing research efforts to inform and guide policy reforms. “We firmly believe in generating robust evidence on how the immense power of forests and trees can be effectively harnessed to address global challenges across various themes and approaches,” she said.

The Minister of Green Economy and Environment, Collins Nzovu, advocated for ecosystem restoration through the implementation of nature-based solutions, the protection of sensitive and ecologically significant areas, the adoption of sustainable management systems, and the development of blue-green infrastructure. “We possess the necessary power and knowledge to reverse the harm inflicted upon our environment and restore it to its former glory,” he said.