1. INTRODUCTIONMutanda Agricultural Research Station is located in the new Kalumbila District, 37 km due south-west of Solwezi town and along the Mutanda-Chavuma road in North Western Province of Zambia. The research station serves as an important institution for strategic research that targets the high rainfall region of Zambia, particularly the North Western Province.
- The Station sits on 324 hectares of arable land in Mumena chiefdom.
- Approximately 100 hectares is cleared land which accommodates infrastructure and experimental fields.
- Depending on resource availability, about 10-20 hectares is under cultivation for experiments, technology demonstrations, germplasm maintenance and seed multiplication during the rainy season.
- Mutanda Research Station is one of the ten research stations in the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI) of the Ministry of Agriculture. ZARI was formerly called the Soils and Crops Research Branch (SCRB) in the department of Research and specialist services (RSS) in the old ministerial structure.
- The establishment of the station was facilitated with the funding from International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) during the first phase of the North Western Province Area Development Project (NWP-ADP).
- Originally, research activities for the region were conducted in Mwinilunga.
- Research activities at Mutanda commenced in 1986
To be the centre of excellence in providing scientific leadership in generating and transferring improved and appropriate technologies through partnerships with stakeholders and beneficiaries.
To contribute to the welfare of the Zambian people through the provision of technologies and knowledge that enhance household food security and equitable income-generating opportunities for the farming community and agricultural enterprises while ensuring the maintenance of the natural resource base.