Jonathan Beale in Zambia
Sorghum - it’s the fifth most important cereal crop in the world. It’s also an inexpensive, hardy, drought-resistant grain and a reliable food source that contains high levels of iron and zinc.
Sorghum is a dietary staple that is consumed like rice, or made into bread and porridge. Extensively grown throughout Africa and Asia, this in-demand commodity is also used to feed livestock and create ethanol. In spite of its benefits, however, sorghum takes a backseat to maize in Zambia. As the country’s primary crop, maize unfortunately requires a significant amount of water and fertilizer – two things that aren’t readily available in southern Zambia. As a result, crop failure is all too common.
Helping to remedy the situation is Jonathan Beale, a volunteer with Engineers Without Borders. Jonathan has partnered with CARE International, which has been actively promoting sorghum production in Zambia since 2005.
The organization’s current initiative – the Sorghum Marketing Enterprise Project (SMEP) – is building connections between three partner sorghum co-operatives and private sector players, such as seed suppliers and financial institutions. The goal is to help the co-operatives take ownership for their success, expand their businesses and sell sorghum on the market. The resulting increase in income will ultimately benefit individual farmers.
As such, Jonathan is helping to link up the co-operatives with different market opportunities. He is also training the co-operatives in how to develop business plans, assisting with the monitoring and evaluation process, and working to establish a milling operation. Along the way, Jonathan is working closely with a Zambian named Whyson. A former government employee, Whyson now works with CARE. “He’s teaching me a lot about Zambia,” Jonathan says. “In particular he knows a lot about agriculture and is committed to the farmers he works with.”
Looking ahead, Jonathan and Whyson will turn their attention to interviewing, selecting and supporting entrepreneurs who are interested in processing sorghum. “I’m very excited about sorghum’s potential to improve the lives of small-holder farmers in Zambia,” Jonathan says. “I feel that, by diversifying where they sell their sorghum, farmers will have more power to use the crop to fulfil their ambitions.”
