By STEPHEN KAPAMBWE –

The prevailing destruction of maize in some parts of the country by army worms and grain borers, coupled with animal disease outbreaks like anthrax which is causing livestock fatalities in Western Province, calls for scientific and technological investments in agriculture.
Army worms, for example, are not a new phenomenon to Zambia. They have invaded maize fields before, such as in December 2014 when they infested farmland in Kalichelo and Mukukwa agricultural camps in Chiparamba and Chitandika farm blocks in Chipata District.
These problems are well known setbacks that have left Zambia grappling with a poorly developed agriculture sector in spite of the country having vast swathes of arable land, favourable climate and plenty of water resources which remain largely untapped.
Recently, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) profiled the Netherlands and explained why the country, which is 18 times smaller than Zambia, is the world’s second largest exporter of agro products after the United States of America (USA).
The Netherlands, or Holland, is a country in north-western Europe, known for its flat landscape of canals, tulip fields, windmills and cycling routes.
With a population density of 408 people per km2, the Netherlands is classified as being one of the countries with a very dense population.
Compared to Zambia, which has a land mass of 752,618 km², the Netherlands only has a land mass of 41,543 km², but is the world’s largest exporter of agricultural and food products, thanks to its innovative agri-food technology.
The country’s agri-food sector is a sustainable source of healthy, safe food that is produced with respect for nature and the environment.
The country’s agriculture has been developed on the premise that as the world rapidly urbanises, there is increasing pressure on urban areas to deliver sustainable and healthy food supplies.
With urbanisation, food security becomes crucial to a country’s economic performance and social wellbeing.
This means that solutions are needed that take into account issues such as animal welfare, food safety, waste-disposal and habitation.
To deal with large populations in small towns, the Netherlands has some of the most intensive, sustainable, and efficient farms in the world.
The country uses a wealth of agricultural knowledge, fertile soil, intensive farming, quality of produce, and trading expertise, to export agri-food products all over the world.
This applies to plant-based produce as well as for animal products such as livestock, poultry (meat) and eggs.
Machinery for the processing of agri-food products: from robotic soft-fruit pickers; to automated meat separators; to potato processing; is also a key global export product, as is the knowledge around food processing.
Out of the top-40 food and drinks companies in the world, 12 have research and development centres located in the Netherlands.
The Netherlands is the world’s second largest exporter of agricultural products, after the USA.
Together with the USA and Spain, the Netherlands is one of the world’s three leading producers of vegetables and fruit.
The country’s agricultural sector is diverse; it covers a wide range of livestock and plant-cultivation sectors that include, for example, arable and dairy farming, cultivation under glass, tree-growing and pig farming.
In addition to that, the Dutch (people of Netherlands) are forward-looking. This is reflected in the country’s worldwide renowned research and innovation infrastructure.
The country’s Wageningen University is the number one agricultural university in the world.
This is according to the National Taiwan Ranking of over 300 universities on scientific and research excellence.
Five of the top 26 global agri-food companies have research and development facilities in the Netherlands.
Besides that, infrastructure, the food processing industry, commerce and logistics are all extremely important.
The country is also successful in renewing its agricultural production chains.
For decades, Dutch agriculture has succeeded in maintaining its lead over international competitors by continually investing in the renewal of agricultural production chains.
Farmers and growers are full partners in the agricultural production chain.
Their primary task is to produce food, flowers and plants with an optimum price and quality using innovative, socially responsible and sustainable methods.
Last but not least, the Netherlands supports the Global Alliance for food security.
It has been projected that at the current production levels, 70 per cent of the global population would face food shortage.
In order to deal with that threat, the Global Alliance will adopt an approach developed in the Netherlands: Climate Smart Agriculture.
The intention of the alliance is to expand and intensify projects carried out by small scale farmers, horticultural growers and fishermen, and to continue to guarantee food safety through targeted public-private partnerships.
These are achievements that Zambia should draw lessons from as the country seeks to develop smart agriculture principles that can sustain production even in the face of adverse weather conditions driven by climate change.
President Edgar Lungu has long desired to see a paradigm shift in the way things are done in Zambia by encouraging the country to move towards a “smart way” of doing things.
Opening Parliament in 2015, President Lungu spelt out his vision in a speech entitled ‘Embracing a Transformational Culture for a Smart Zambia Now,’ in which he said “… to attain this transformation, we need to change the way we think, behave and do things.”
Doing things differently should start from encouraging local scientific research into how the country can permanently resolve perennial setbacks like army worms and known livestock disease outbreaks which not only cost the treasury a lot of resources to control but also keep the agriculture sector underdeveloped.
This has been demonstrated by the Dutch who have invested in research activities of their own universities.
Local research institutions should equally be tasked with the duty to find a lasting solution to local problems besetting the agriculture sector.
For example, scientific investigation should have alerted farmers that army worms and other pests are likely to occur following seasons of draught or poor rainfall.
That should have prepared farmers to control the pests even before damage was caused.
Similar investigations should form the basis of on-going aquaculture expansion so that the much talked about diversification in the agriculture sector bears the intended results and is sustained.
As we speak, regional markets for agro products are yawning, not to mention countries like Saudi Arabia which have specifically expressed interest in importing Zambian livestock.
Whereas venturing into such markets is exciting and lucrative, satisfying them will take serious investment not just in production but also in support systems and best practices that will ensure sustained production both for local and international demand.