Farmers in North-Western Province to Benefit from K33.3m Input Support
First Quantum Minerals (FQM) has launched the 2025/26 Farmer Input Support Programme, investing K33,384,129 to support 7,208 smallholder farmers across Mushindamo, Solwezi, Kalumbila and Mwinilunga.
The initiative covers 3,412 hectares of cultivated land and forms part of FQM’s long-standing Agriculture Livelihood Support Programme at FQM Trident Limited in Kalumbila and Kansanshi Mining PLC in Solwezi.
Speaking during the launch in Kalumbila, Minister of Agriculture Hon. Reuben Mtolo Phiri said the programme will boost productivity, strengthen resilience and improve food and nutrition security among beneficiary households.
“Government continues to partner with First Quantum and other progressive companies to drive agricultural growth. By improving access to input and output markets, encouraging private investment and value addition, and promoting crop diversification, we are seeing tangible, positive outcomes,” he said.
He highlighted the company’s beans out-grower scheme with Good Nature Agro as a successful example. The scheme expanded from 40 farmers in 2022 to 615 in 2024, producing more than 100 metric tonnes of certified beans and injecting over K2.5 million into the local economy. The 2025/26 season aims to support over 1,000 farmers.
FQM Country Manager Dr Godwin Beene reiterated the mining firm’s long-term commitment to market-driven, resilient agriculture.
“Through the Trident Foundation in Kalumbila and the Kansanshi Foundation in Solwezi, we are helping smallholders transition from subsistence to commercial agriculture, ensuring communities thrive well beyond the life of our mines,” he said.
“This season’s investment will subsidise inputs, training and technical support to strengthen household food security and local enterprise.”
FQM Trident Assistant General Manager Frederic Wouters emphasised the shared value between mining and farming.
“Mining and agriculture are complementary engines of Zambia’s development. We cannot sustainably mine copper without cultivating community prosperity. Supporting more than 7,000 farmers this season is an investment in resilience, skills and opportunity.”
FQM’s agricultural strategy aligns with national policies including the Eighth National Development Plan (2022–2026) and the Comprehensive Agriculture Transformation Support Programme (2022). The company collaborates with government, local leadership, manufacturers and distributors to ensure farmer support is transparent, efficient and impactful.
