EUGENE MWAMBILA'S FARM: WHERE PASSION MEETS PRACTICE

BY MERCY NAMFUKWE

Meet Eugene Mwambila, a dedicated farmer. He was raised by his father, a medical doctor in the Army. However, his father was also a passionate farmer who introduced him to farming at a very tender age. By the time Eugene reached grade 2, he already had his own vegetable garden.

“I moved into full-time farming after leaving school in the Nalusanga area after my parents died and later relocated to Mkushi in the Chitina area, where I was a student at Nkumbi International College. It was while at Nkumbi that I visited the Mkushi farm block, and my passion for farming grew,” he said.

In 2016-2017, he moved to Lufwanyama district, where he leased some land to pursue full-time farming. Currently, he is leasing the former Ngwena banana farm in partnership with the Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities (ZAPD), a local Non-Governmental Organization.

Mr. Mwambila owns an individual farm where he grows maize and soya beans as rain-fed crops, alongside cabbages, green beans, and tomatoes on the vegetable side. He has also ventured into piggery and livestock farming.

“Currently, I run the farm and have employed one permanent worker. When needs arise and there is a shortage of manpower, I engage workers on a temporary basis,” he said.

Mr. Mwambila lives at the farm and spends most of his time there. He finds it convenient to hire people for short-term piecework rather than employing those who live far from the farm, as transportation would be a challenge.

He bemoaned some of the challenges he faces in farming, notably cash flow and market access. Another significant challenge has been staff retention.

“I had a small contract with the Food Lovers Market, but unfortunately, they scaled up, and I had to return to the open markets in Kalulushi and Kitwe. As usual, the fluctuation of prices, including the cost of transport and inputs, are major challenges,” Mr. Mwambila said.

Despite these setbacks, he feels that farming is a lucrative venture. It is something he loves doing with passion, always coupling it with plans to scale up irrigation and access more land. He notes that achieving good cash flow in farming as a business requires proper planning. This mindset has prompted him to start growing vegetables, which can give quick returns. He is also rearing broiler chickens, despite challenges such as low uptake and the high cost of feed.

With the world’s growing population, Mr. Mwambila believes there are more people to feed, making farming a lucrative venture that requires passion and persistence.

“I love farming and am inspired by individuals like Joe Daka of Mkushi, Costain Chilala, and Maria the Zed Farmer. I believe farming and agribusiness offer a great opportunity for wealth creation and self-employment for youths,” he disclosed.

Mr. Mwambila’s desire is to grow his current ventures into value addition entities based at his farm. He currently sells pork and broiler chickens and delivers to his clients in Kitwe and Kalulushi.

He expressed happiness at being invited to the Agricoop Awards gala night and participating in the photo competition on the Agricoop online page. He was voted as having one of the best farm photos and attended the Agricoop annual awards gala.

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