In Zambia, an all-female farm nurtures the climate leaders of the future

On a fresh, warm morning in Chinsali in northern Zambia, 26-year-old Naomi Chanda wields her sickle to harvest green leafy soya bean plants before the heat of midday hits.It’s a sight not uncommon across the southern African nation, but the farm where Naomi is working is different: its lush fields, fishponds and livestock pens are tended only by young women practising climate-smart agricultural techniques to equip them for an uncertain future.Over recent years, Southern Africa has endured a series of droughts, floods and dramatic seasonal changes linked to climate change.In Chinsali district, in Zambia’s far northeast, prolonged droughts have plagued smallholder farmers. Last year, the rains came late and were shorter than usual. For many farmers it was a disaster, but Naomi and the other young women working on the farm managed to weather the storm.