THE devastating drought that characterised the 2023/24 farming season thereby reducing crop production to unimaginable levels calls for a rethink on crop production.

Desperate times call for desperate measures to navigate through critical moments to create a resilient economic environment.
There is a great need to turn to drought-resistant crops that farmers have been neglecting as they suspect them to be of low market value.
Zambian farmers are known to be producing any imaginable crop which in some cases you find that one farmer can grow up to crop variations but the prominent crop has always been maize, soya beans and to some extent cassava.
In the time of plenty of rains, there is a tendency to discard crops that are drought tolerant like sorghum, cassava and yams that can help the country avoid imports in the time of deficits.
In this discourse, I will look at how policy interventions and cultural shifts could help in harnessing the yam potential.
Although it seems to be a new introduction, the crop is gaining traction although the cultivation levels seem to be below the commercial requirements.
Despite the potential of providing an alternative to the maize crop and cassava among other staple foods, just like cassava, it has immense industrial and food product variations.
There is a wide variety of products that can be made from yam which includes yam flour, yam sticks, yam cream, yam chips, dietary supplements and others.
On the other hand, perennial yams are exploited by the pharmaceutical industry as a source of steroidal compounds.
Cultivated edible species are also being reassessed as potential sources of starch for cosmetics and biofuels in most countries around the world.
Just like cassava, the crop can be used for making starch which is used in mineral processing among a range of usage which is capable of sparking industrial revolution as the country looks to ramp up copper production to three million tonnes by 2031.
In North-Western Province for example, the crop is becoming a permanent feature as they can be seen being displayed on road sides.
Residents are using yams to produce yam meal that is providing an effective alternative to maize and cassava in the area.
There is also a spill-over trend on the Copperbelt as the crop is slowly being introduced partly because of the supposedly medicinal properties in that, diabetic patients and those with low sugar are encouraged to turn to yams.
On the Copperbelt, Chabutte Yam Growers’ Cooperative (CYTGC) is playing a role in commercialising the crop to an extent of setting up a factory where a range of products are being manufactured.
This cooperative is helping in yam expansion by reaching out to many farmers in Mpongwe and other areas on the Copperbelt who provide the raw material as it embarks on the manufacturing of a traditional beverage called Munkoyo ,yam meal and yam coffee among others .
I am told that the cooperative had also caught the attention of the Government and other cooperating partners.
Last year the cooperative secured K1 million funding for the establishment of a processing plant from the World Bank under the Agri-business component under the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry.
The cooperative also recently accessed K40,000 from Constituency Development Fund (CDF) which has been invested in seed multiplication as it looks to expand the production of yam fields.
A munkonyo manufacturing equipment is also on its way from India which will contribute to expansion of manufacturing of the local beverage which is enjoying an extensive market.
Part of the money went towards the establishment of a yam processing plant and expansion of seed multiplication fields.
This has helped the cooperative to establish a yam and tuber processing plant to increase value for the yams we grow as we look at increasing the number of yam growers from the current 400 to about 600 across the country.
It is good that the Government is establishing itself and already, the cooperative is doing a pilot production of Munkoyo (beverage) which are currently being stocked in local shops and with the coming in of the equipment full commercialisation is on the horizon.
There is no doubt that commercialization of yams would boost the country’s nutritional capacity to create jobs while contributing significantly to the general economy.
From what I have gathered, yam products like yam flour and yam hot beverages are receiving positive feedback in terms of demand, hence the need to expand production of the crop and its products.
Increased cultivation of crops like yams will serve dual purposes such as enhancing food security while promoting industry.
The growing of alternative crops to maize will help save a portion of maize reserved for industrial usage thereby freeing some maize crops for consumption.
More efforts should be made to popularise drought tolerant crops like yams now that the dry spell characterised the 2023/2024 season has taught all us a lesson.