Farming is central to life in Zambia, with about 60% of the country’s labour force relying on rain-fed agriculture for their livelihood or income. Seasonal rains shape planting and harvesting, and temperatures can rise to 40°C. On small farms, men generally manage livestock such as cattle and cash crops like maize, while women maintain vegetable gardens and cultivate crops like cassava.
I am a researcher with over seven years of experience working on public health topics such as climate change and heat stress among rural farmers. Driven by the research gap on climate change and human health, I looked at whether the rising global temperatures represent an emerging public health crisis for Zambia’s small-scale farmers.
Temperatures in Zambia have been rising since the 1980s at about 0.01°C per year, accelerating to 0.08°C annually since the 2000s. Temperatures are projected to increase by nearly 2°C by 2050 under a situation where a moderate to high amount of greenhouse gas continues to be emitted.
