Climate Adaptation and Resilience

Climate Change Challenges & NACRO’s Response

NACRO’s mission is to strengthen community resilience and improve the lives of vulnerable households. Climate change threatens global safety, health, and livelihoods, with disadvantaged communities—including in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi where NACRO currently operates—facing the greatest risks. These countries experience severe droughts, floods, extreme heat, disease outbreaks, and energy shortages, all of which undermine agriculture, infrastructure, and economic stability.

Regional Climate Impacts

Across Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, climate change leads to:

  • Agricultural losses from droughts, erratic rainfall, and pests.
  • Water and energy crises, especially reduced hydropower from Lake Kariba.
  • Extreme weather, including cyclones, floods, and prolonged dry spells.
  • Health risks, such as increased malaria and cholera.
  • Economic disruption, including damaged infrastructure and rising food prices.

Climate Adaptation in Agriculture

NACRO promotes:

  • Climate-Smart Agriculture to boost productivity and resilience.
  • Resilient crop varieties and diversified farming.
  • Soil and water conservation, including rainwater harvesting and conservation agriculture.
  • Farmer knowledge-sharing platforms like Farmers’ Clubs.

Adaptation in Health and Education

NACRO supports climate-resilient systems through:

  • Stronger infrastructure for schools and health facilities.
  • Continuity planning for climate disruptions.
  • Climate literacy and empowering teachers and students as change agents.

NACRO’s focus on gender equality NACRO emphasizes gender-responsive adaptation, recognizing that resilience means both adjusting to climate impacts and strengthening the capacity to recover from shocks.

Alignment with SDG 13 (Climate Action)

NACRO works with governments and stakeholders to advance the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for climate change SDG 13 (Climate Action). NACRO advances:

  • Resilience and adaptation capacity
  • Climate education and awareness
  • Institutional and community-level planning

Interconnected Basic Services

Access to basic services—such as health and education services—and improved livelihood  are highly interconnected.  Climate adaptation strengthens:

  • Food and nutrition security through diverse, nutrient-rich crops.
  • Disease prevention via integrated health and agricultural practices.
  • Livelihood protection through stable incomes and improved access to services.

NACRO’s Climate Adaptation & Resilience Strategy

NACRO works across education, health, and livelihoods using infrastructural, institutional, behavioural, and nature-based approaches — focusing on building resilience and reducing vulnerability.

Examples of Climate Adaptation Related Projects

  • Climate-resilient WASH in Schools (Zambia) – girl-friendly sanitation, solar water systems, ICT laboratories for better continuity in learning: Kalabo, Zambia (2024-2026).
  • Energy Cooperatives for Smallholder Farmers (Zambia) – clean water, biogas, and organic fertilizer (bioslurry), enabling 400 smallholders increased production and productivity (1 January 2024 – 30 November 2025).
  • Forest & Landscape Restoration (Malawi) – training 306 farmers in irrigation and climate-smart agriculture: Ntcheu, Malawi (1 March 2024 to 31 July 2025).
  • Resilient Livelihoods Project (Zambia) – irrigation systems, crop diversification, and eco-friendly farming for 560 smallholder farmers: Choma, Zambia (1 October 2025 – 31 September 2026).
  • Smallholder Irrigation Schemes (Malawi) – supporting 142 farmers to irrigate 15 hectares of farmland and increase productivity: Ntcheu, Malawi (1 January 2024 -31 December 2026).

Overall Goal

In climate adaptation and resilience building, NACRO strives to empower communities with resilient infrastructure, uninterrupted access to education and health services, and climate-resilient agriculture—enabling them to prepare for, withstand, and recover from climate shocks.

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