10,000 Livestock Farmers to Benefit from National Insurance Scheme

The Government has launched a National Livestock Insurance scheme set to benefit around ten thousand livestock farmers across the country, urging producers to embrace insurance as a vital safeguard for their animals and their livelihoods against the deepening effects of climate change.

Speaking at the official opening of the National-Level E-SLIP Livestock Insurance Sensitisation Workshop in Lusaka, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Permanent Secretary Dr Max Choombe said climate change continues to pose serious challenges for the sector. He pointed to prolonged droughts, recurring disease outbreaks and growing shortages of pasture and water as some of the pressures bearing down hardest on smallholder farmers.

Dr Choombe explained that, through the Enhanced Smallholder Livestock Investment Programme (E-SLIP), the Government is working hand in hand with partners to promote livestock insurance as part of a wider drive to build resilience among vulnerable farming households. He stressed that transparency, efficiency and inclusiveness must sit at the heart of the programme's implementation, adding that front-line officers have a crucial part to play in earning the trust and confidence of farmers on the ground.

Echoing this message, World Food Programme (WFP) Country Representative Cissy Kabasuuga described the introduction of livestock insurance under E-SLIP as a significant step forward. In remarks delivered on her behalf by the organisation's Programme Policy Officer, Emmanuel Kilio, Ms Kabasuuga said the scheme offers practical risk-financing solutions for smallholder farmers and can help communities recover more quickly from droughts, floods and disease outbreaks. She added that insurance gives farmers the confidence to invest more boldly in livestock production, strengthening both household incomes and long-term food security.

The workshop, organised by the WFP with support from the Government through E-SLIP, brought together Ministry officials from 25 priority districts spanning five provinces. Key stakeholders also joined the gathering to deepen understanding and sharpen coordination as the country prepares to roll the scheme out to farming communities.