Caption
Women legume farmers boarding vehicles to attend a field day near Mpika, Northern Province, Zambia. Transportation in this remote area is a problem. - - Integrated Crop Management/Food Legume Project: GRZ/UNDP/ZAM/92/003. The project promotes food legumes such as beans, cowpea, soyabean and groundnuts as ideal crops for small farmers. Legumes are drought resistant, an important quality in drought prone Zambia, do well without expensive inputs and are best managed in small fields where individual farmers can give them the necessary attention. The farmers may also use seed from one season's crop for the next season, unlike hybrid maize, for which seed must be bought anew each season. Legumes are rich in protein, which contributes to better nutrition for the farmers' children. The project is run by the Government of Zambia with FAO assistance but contact with farmers is made through 40 NGOs all over the country.