FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WITH PICTURE
DECEMBER 19 2025
Kagem Boosts Lufwanyama Farmers as Cooperatives Drive a New Season of Growth
LUFWANYAMA, ZAMBIA – Hundreds of small-scale farmers in Lufwanyama have begun the 2025/2026 farming season with renewed confidence, due to enhanced support from Kagem Mining (“Kagem”) for local cooperatives that is helping households to improve food security, incomes, and climate resilience.
Farmers from Pilala, Kanchule, Bulaya, Chantete, Kapila, Kasanto, Chapula, Masasa, Sandawana and Lumpuma are among those benefitting from Kagem’s ongoing partnership with community cooperatives. The initiative is enabling farmers to expand their fields, improve yields, and adopt better farming practices, transforming household livelihoods.
For many farmers in Lufwanyama, joining a cooperative has meant access to reliable seed, fertiliser, and training – resources that are often out of reach for rural households. This year, every participating farmer received the essentials needed to cultivate half a hectare of maize, giving families the opportunity to grow enough food for home consumption while still selling surplus for income.
Farm inputs included 412 bags of fertiliser (206 bags of 50kg Compound D and 206 bags of 50kg urea fertiliser), and 206 bags of 10kg maize seed.
The support builds on similar initiatives during the 2024/2025 season, when 146 individual farmers and several cooperatives from Sandawana – and even a local fish farming group – benefitted from agricultural assistance that enabled them to expand their production.
Beyond farm supplies, the programme places strong emphasis on farmer training, delivered in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock. Extension officers and Kagem’s corporate responsibility team have been working closely with cooperatives to strengthen skills in modern farming, livestock management, and farm business planning.
“Working year after year with farmers has helped us understand their most urgent needs,” said Irvine Mwitwa, Head of Corporate Affairs, Kagem. “The goal is to ensure they have the knowledge, not just the inputs, to increase productivity and improve their quality of life.”
This season, farmers are being encouraged to adopt good agronomic practices such as crop rotation using legumes—including groundnuts, soya beans, and beans—to improve soil fertility and reduce pest and disease pressure. About 146 households will directly benefit from this shift, with ripple effects expected to reach more than 300 additional families.
To help farmers adapt to climate change and embrace more sustainable practices, Kagem and Corteva Agriscience have established learning fields in Lufwanyama. These plots give farmers the chance to see new techniques in action – from improved seed varieties to climate-smart farming methods – and apply them in their own fields.
The demonstrations are already gaining attention in the area, with farmers visiting to learn how to boost yields, reduce losses, and farm more efficiently.
Local leaders say the improvements in farming are helping communities address several long-standing challenges, including low incomes, unemployment, and illegal mining – especially among young people seeking better economic opportunities.
“Sustainable farming requires long-term commitment,” said Irvine Mwitwa. “By building strong cooperatives and giving farmers the knowledge to farm better, we are laying the foundation for future growth and stability in these communities.”
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About Kagem Mining
Kagem Mining Limited (“Kagem”), based in Lufwanyama, is a world-leading emerald mine. Kagem is operated and 75% owned by Gemfields, in partnership with the Zambian government’s International Development Corporation (“IDC”).
Gemfields is a world-leading miner of coloured gemstones. In addition to Kagem, Gemfields is the operator and 75% owner of Montepuez Ruby Mining in Mozambique (situated on one of the most significant recently discovered ruby deposits in the world).
Gemfields introduced a proprietary grading system and pioneering auction platform, which have transformed the coloured gemstone industry. Today, the company implements and invests in industry-leading policies, practices and infrastructure across its operations; aligns with relevant industry standards to underpin its responsible approach; plays an active role in working groups to modernise the sector; and raises the profile of African gems through its global marketing efforts.
Gemfields funds projects to improve health, education and livelihoods for communities around its mines, supports local conservation partners and created the Gemfields Foundation, its charitable arm, which magnifies the scale of the work already carried out by Gemfields itself.
Gemfields and Kagem value transparency, legitimacy and integrity and believe that coloured gemstones should create a positive impact for the countries and communities from which they originate.
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