Mukupa Writes

 By Linda Mupemo The ICT Hub has boosted digital literacy among girls at the learning institutions. Anne Chisanga moves the mouse from left to right as she skillfully designs a colourful pinkish pie chart on her computer.  She later fills it with various percentages representing sample data.  “I am practicing how to design a visual representation of data using a pie chart,” she confidently tells this Reporter.  The 15-year-old girl is a grade nine pupil at Chisamba Secondary School.  Anne reveals that she is taking advantage of the free internet connectivity in the computer laboratory at her school to build up on what she learns in class.  “Knowing how to operate a computer has improved my studies . I now use the internet to research further and add on to what I learn in class,” she says.  Next to her is Faith Sengula who is practicing how to enter figures in an excel sheet.  Faith says she has learnt how to type, design cards using word publisher...

Firm swinging over climate change storm By Linda Mupemo  Zambeef Cheese Maker Lucy Zulu shows off one of her latest products.  Zambia,like many other countries world over, is grappling with adverse effects of climate change.  Climate change has led to the country experiencing natural calamities lately such as floods, water scarcity, droughts and food insecurity.  Following the drought the nation experienced in the 2023/2024 farming season, Government is implementing various social protection programmes aimed at mitigating hunger in vulnerable households.  However, eradicating food insecurity in Zambia calls for concerted efforts from various stakeholders especially in the agriculture sector.  Zambeef Products, one of the largest agri-businesses in Zambia, is a player in the agriculture sector that has stepped up its  efforts in food production to help enhance food security in the country. The integrated business is mainly involved in the production, pr...

By Linda Mupemo   It is common practice for farmers in Zambia to start tilling their crop fields towards the end of summer (October) in preparation for the planting season.   2021 was not an exception, by the first week of November, most farmers had prepared their fields. Zambia experiences the   rainy season from November to April the following year. However, the disruption in the rainfall pattern for the 2021/2022 farming season sent shockwaves into the agriculture sector. By mid-December, most parts of the country were receiving below average rainfall.  Farmers  who planted their seeds after the first rains had dry, stunted crops towards the end of the year. Suffice to say a good number of farmers in the rural parts of the country solely depend on agriculture to sustain themselves. Therefore, any disturbance in their agricultural activities, natural or man-made, leads to the destabilisation of their livelihoods. Justine Musangu, a beneficiary o...