Finland is stepping up to be a lasting backbone for Zambian agriculture that will ultimately support food security, jobs and farmers’ incomes, a Zambia Daily Mail report said. The Core Support Programme II (CSP) for 2016/2017 will be in its second phase and disbursed in the amount of roughly $4 million (3.8 million euros).

Both the embassies of Sweden and Finland are behind the program along with anti-poverty organization We Effect and the Zambia National Farmer’s Union (ZNFU). According to Zambia Daily Mail, last year’s disbursement amounted to 4 million euros which pushes total funding to $8.3 million.

“Agriculture continues to be one of Finland’s key focal areas of our development cooperation in Zambia as the sector plays a critical role in diversifying the country’s economy, job creation and in reducing poverty and inequality,” Timo Olkkonen, Finland’s ambassador to Zambia said in the report.

In addition to boosting agriculture, the program aims to help farmers push beneficial policies and agricultural development, which is supported by the country’s private sector. Farmers within the union will also be assisted with financial services, agricultural innovation and reaching markets. CSP II also seeks to encourage investment in agricultural tech programs and agriculture service centers.

“The additional funding to support the ZNFU CSP II reflects Finland’s continued solid partnership with ZNFU to unleash the smallholder farmers’ economic potential and reduce rural poverty,” Olkkonen said.

Xinhua News reported that Zambia’s government has garnered $12 million from The International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) to support livestock farmers. Livestock disease control and livestock production will be facilitated with this loan that was approved through the Enhanced Smallholder Livestock Investment Program.

The government has also reviewed livestock breeding guidelines, which now allow the granting of “superior breeding stock to smallholder farmers” at an affordable rate. This goes for livestock that was raised at a government facility, Xinhua noted.