Over 300 farmers in Chilanga district have benefited from the Food Security Pack (FSP) programme under the Department of Community Development in the second quarter of 2025.
According to the second quarter report submitted to the District Development Coordinating Committee (DDCC), a total of 298 female farmers and 104 male farmers benefited from the programme.
The report indicated that the performance rate was at 85 percent and that the percentage of the crop harvest varied from one ward to another.
It however stated that all fields recorded an above average performance during the period under review.
The report also revealed that 25 percent of the farmers under the programme did not receive any seed for cereal and legume because the supplier had not delivered at the time of the monitoring exercise.
It further revealed that under FSP, the department needed to scale up to meet the demand and also increase sensitisation and awareness in order to improve stakeholder understanding of the food security pack and village banking programmes.
“Under the Micro Finance Credit or village bank programme, 90 beneficiaries were trained under capacity building and the loan repayment was successful as the beneficiaries had shown commitment in their periodic paybacks,” the report disclosed.
According to the report, the Department of Community Development noted the need to increase funding towards livelihood empowerment support scheme, commonly known as village bank programmes.
The department also recommended the introduction of the Girls Education and Women Empowerment and Livelihood (GEWEL) programme as the district has a high case load of vulnerable female-headed households and high prevalence of child marriages, teenage pregnancies and girl child school dropouts.
