Welcoming our new YPARD Zambia Country Representative!

We are pleased to welcome Sussana Phiri as the new Country Representative of YPARD Zambia.

Sussana basks in a background of family and small scale farming. She pursued education as a career and learnt categorically, in the early stages, the role that food had to play in a child’s learning process.

She went on to join various youth coalitions including the CAADP Youth Network(CYN) and the Zambia Youth Environmental Network (ZYEN) among others in a quest to supplement her single efforts of playing a part in having food and nutrition secure homes, communities and nations at large. She worked with others and found that truly, ‘A single leaf working alone provides no shade’ and that ‘WE always multiplies the power of I’. Without any doubt, her participation in these youth networks as a member and leader opened up a wide array of possibilities and opportunities as far as transforming agri food systems and livelihoods is concerned for herself and others.

In recent years, Sussana has been involved in fostering meaningful youth engagement and participation in CAADP processes at national level to ensure the voice of youth was heard and considered as a key stakeholder with regards to agri food systems. She also provided extension services as an Entrepreneur for Rural Access (ERA) using the smart projector to young mothers at local clinics, sharing information on simplified ways of ensuring nutrition is attained using what’s available within the auspices of one’s family and household.

Living at a time when the effects of climate change have taken centre stage and are jeopardizing agri food systems, Sussana is determined to rise to the occasion and ensure the youth are meaningfully engaged across the agriculture value chain.

She is committed to strengthening platforms for young people in Zambia and the region to join hands in desiring, developing and delivering mega sustainable solutions towards transforming agri food systems by collaborating with local experts and organisations. These collaborations will be sure to propel individual and group efforts to greater heights in the fight against the negative effects of climate change such as food and nutrition security.

The fundamental goal for Sussana as YPARD Zambia country representative is to enable and empower young leaders in Zambia to shape and transform agri food systems for climate mitigation and resilience through capacity building, networking and advocacy.

It's a pleasure to have you here, Sussana!