Partners

• Zambia Ministry of Agriculture
• CGIAR Initiative on Climate Resilience 
• Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) 
• International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

Background

Drought is a prolonged period of dry weather that can cause crop failures, famine and water shortages. In Zambia, like many other countries in Southern Africa, drought is a recurrent problem, particularly during the months from January to April, which are typically the driest months of the year. Zambia has experienced several droughts in the past, with varying degrees of severity and impact. Some of the notable droughts in Zambia are listed below:

• 1991-1992 drought: One of the worst droughts in the country’s history, which affected over 4 million people and caused widespread food shortages.
• 2015-2016 drought: The El Niño weather pattern caused a severe drought in Zambia, affecting over 2 million people and leading to food and water shortages.
• 2019-2020 drought: Another severe drought, caused by the El Niño and La Niña weather patterns, affected nearly 3 million people and caused crop failures and water shortages.

These droughts have had significant impacts on the economy and food security of Zambia, and highlight the need for continued efforts to improve drought preparedness and response. The Zambian government and international organizations work together to provide support to communities affected by drought through measures such as food and water aid, and implementing drought-resistant crops and water conservation methods.

Zambia Drought Management System (ZADMS)

Despite the past efforts from various partners and institutions to strengthen drought preparedness and response strategies, there is a significant lack of promoting integrated end-to-end solutions in drought management efforts. In consultation with the Ministry of Agriculture in Zambia, the CGIAR Initiative on Climate Resilience (known as “ClimBeR”) and the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) project are currently implementing the drought management framework, integrating technologies, and evaluating the performance and usability of ZADMS.

ZADMS is a unique and innovative platform that provides information in modules for end-to-end drought monitoring and management. The module on weather and climate supports information such as seasonal (3-4 months), sub-seasonal (4 weeks) and 7-day weather forecasts. For drought management, near real-time drought indices are generated using multisource satellite data to define mandatory and impact drought indicators. Lastly, these indicators are used to activate agriculture contingency plans for drought mitigation. Further, ZADMS will provide country-specific Actual Precipitation Indexes (APIs) to access and integrate data into their respective platforms to enable monitoring and strengthening of capacities in the region. ZADMS also provides a drought bulletin based on the requirements of the user and allows for timely dissemination.

Objective of the workshop

The overall objective of the workshop is to launch the prototype of the Zambia Drought Management System (ZADMS) with key stakeholders and explain the current capabilities of the system, and to also highlight the opportunities to strengthen drought resilience initiatives at the (sub)national level. The launch will be followed by a demonstration on the usability of the tools and a discussion on the implementation of drought action plans and capacity building plans. The workshop will contribute to the following:

• Launch of the ZADMS jointly with the Ministry of Agriculture and related organizations.
• Explore the current capabilities of ZADMS for drought monitoring and early warning.
• Institutionalize ZADMS at (sub)national level to promote multi-institutional collaboration to mitigate drought risks.
• Discuss the implementation of the drought management strategy, specifically contingency plans.

Participants

At this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with ZADMS and its capabilities. It will also provide a platform for experts from the water, agriculture and climate communities to interact and make the best use of ZADMS. Participants from key agencies (departments of meteorology, water resources, agriculture/irrigation, and disaster management) will be invited to the workshop. The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) will organize the workshop together with the Ministry of Agriculture in Zambia, the CGIAR Initiative on Climate Resilience and the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) project, with many organizations to be confirmed as knowledge and technical partners.

Contacts

• Giriraj Amarnath, Research Group Leader – Water Risk to Development and Resilience, IWMI, and Zambia Country Lead, CGIAR Initiative on Climate Resilience (ClimBeR) (a.giriraj@cgiar.org)
• Mirriam Makungwe, Research Officer – Innovations Scaling, IWMI (m.makungwe@cgiar.org)