The Cost of Coexistence

Farmers Battle Drought and Elephants in Chama

By Ennety Munshya

While much of Zambia enjoyed normal rainfall last farming season, Chama district in Eastern Province faced a different reality. Here, farmers are struggling not only with the devastation of drought but also with elephants encroaching on their fields, turning survival into a daily battle for land and food.

For 49-year-old Julius Ngulube, the struggle has been even more painful. After securing a K40,000 loan from the government-supported Sustainable Agriculture Financing Facility (SAFF) to expand his farming, he lost his entire maize crop—withered by drought and ravaged by elephants.

“I am heartbroken and hopeless. I got a loan to improve my farming, but what followed was disaster and heartache,” said Ngulube of Kaozi Scheme in Chama District.

At his home in Kaozi, Ngulube sat outside one of his huts with his two wives and children, the family’s empty granary standing as a stark reminder of loss. Visibly devastated, he explained that he acquired the SAFF loan in December 2024 through NATSAVE, hoping to improve his farming and lift his family’s living conditions.

From the loan, K4,000 was given to him in cash, while the rest was used to buy 26 bags of fertilizer, four 10-kg packs of maize seed, and chemicals. From the three hectares he planted, Ngulube expected a bumper harvest of nearly 500 bags. Instead, drought and elephants wiped out the entire field.

He vividly recalled the day the elephants invaded his maize field in April 2025.

“The animals got into the field around 19:00 hours,” Ngulube recounted. “We screamed and made all sorts of noise, banging buckets to chase them away, but nothing worked. We lost our voices from shouting. We could only watch helplessly as they destroyed the crops. I was devastated, even now, I am not okay.”

A farmer for over 18 years, Ngulube depends on his farming activities to provide for his family, but now he feels trapped, unsure how he will repay the loan.

He managed to harvest only 15 fifty-kilogramme bags, which he sold to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA), leaving nothing for home consumption. FRA is buying maize at K340 per bag, meaning Ngulube will earn just K5,100, far below the K40,000 he owes.

His fate now depends on the bank’s response after deducting the FRA payment from his account.

“I don’t know what the bank will say,” he says quietly. “I’m waiting for FRA to deposit the money, and then the bank will deduct it. After that, they will summon me to explain why I failed to pay back the loan. I’m just waiting.”

Ngulube hopes that if he can be granted another loan, he could find alternative land less prone to wildlife incursions and repay both loans.

Ngulube isn’t alone. Many other farmers in the area share the same struggle.

Kaozi lies within the Musalangu Game Management Area, which borders North Luangwa National Park—home to Zambia’s only black rhino population, one of the fastest growing in Africa. The park is also a predator stronghold and hosts the country’s largest, most stable, and only growing elephant population, according to the Frankfurt Zoological Society.

A report by the Ministry of Agriculture in Chama, seen by MakanDay, confirms the damage to Ngulube’s farm by elephants and details the extent of the loss. It states that half a hectare of maize was eaten, resulting in an estimated 70 percent reduction in yields from the affected area.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the Sustainable Agriculture Financing Facility (SAFF) is designed to empower small-scale farmers by providing access to essential financial resources. Its goal is to enhance productivity and sustainability, bridging the financing gap faced by smallholders and enabling them to invest in improved farming techniques, purchase inputs, and increase yields.