Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources

On the occasion marking the 25^th anniversary of graduation at the invitation of the Dean of students from the Faculty of Agrobiology and Natural Sciences of the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Ing Allan Chinambu returned to Nitra.

Ing. Allan Chinambu was born on 1^st January, 1965 in Zambezi district of the North – Western Province of Zambia. He attended primary and secondary school in Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia from 1971 to 1982. In 1987, he was awarded a scholarship to study Agriculture in Czechoslovakia. In August, 1987 he was enrolled for the language and preparatory course in Bratislava. After completion of the language course, he was registered for the first academic year under the Faculty of Agronomy of the University of Agriculture in Nitra specializing in Animal Science. He successfully completed his studies in 1992. Upon completion of his university studies, Ing Allan Chinambu returned to his home country, Zambia.

In 1993 he was appointed head of the Department of animal production under the Ministry of Agriculture in the Central province of Zambia. In 1987 he was appointed Provincial Agricultural Officer for the Western Province of Zambia where he worked up to 2007. His main responsibilities were control of human material and financial resources in the areas of crop production, livestock production, Mechanization of Agricultural production, Farm Management and entrepreneurship development, Aquaculture and Fisheries development. During his professional career he attended various local and international short courses among them, the 24^th International Course on Dairy Farming in Rural Development, Organized by the International Agricultural Center in Wageningen, the Netherlands.  Sustainable Use and Conservation of Agricultural Biodiversity organized by the Wageningen Agricultural University, International Plant Genetic Resource Institute (IPGRI) and the international Livestock Research Institute in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

While working in the Western Province of Zambia, Ing. Allan Chinambu realized that the soils and climatic conditions in this part of Zambia were suitable for commercial Cashew Nut Production.

In July, 2007, Ing. Allan Chinambu applied for retirement from the Ministry of Agriculture and formed the Cashew Growers Association of Zambia with the main objective to develop the Zambian Cashew Industry. The Cashew Growers Association of Zambia engaged the government of Zambia to invest in the cashew industry in order to create employment opportunities, reduce poverty levels and protect the environment. The Cashew Growers Association of Zambia is currently working to improve the productivity of the local cashew tree population. Cashew being a cross pollinated tree crop, this is being done by grafting using scions from elite mother trees.  The association has also established working relationships with international regulatory institutions in order to development food safety and hygiene standards and certification for Zambian cashew to enter the international market. The Cashew Growers Association of Zambia is a member of the African Cashew Alliance which is an Association of African and international Cashew stakeholders working to enhance the competitiveness of the African cashew industry on the global stage. Africa currently accounts for1/3 of the total world cashew production.

As a result of the activities of the cashew Growers Association of Zambia, the Government of Zambia has recognized cashew as a tree crop of national economic importance and has made a substantial investment to develop the industry. The general membership of the Cashew Growers Association of Zambia currently stands at 3,500 farmers in 10 districts of the Western Province of Zambia.