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KITWE – The rapid resurgence of Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) under the majority ownership of Abu Dhabi’s International Resources Holding (IRH) is creating a high-stakes friction point between Zambia’s industrial ambitions and its rural food security. As copper production at the Mufulira and Nkana sites surged by 40% in 2025, the surrounding agricultural landscape has undergone a seismic shift, with a reported 18% of land in the mine’s immediate vicinity transitioning from traditional farming to industrial and infrastructure use. This encroachment is forcing a re-evaluation of land-use planning in a region where copper is the primary export but agriculture remains the lifeblood of community stability.
The operational revival, fueled by a US$1.1 billion capital injection from IRH, has successfully repositioned Mopani as a technological leader, yet the environmental spillovers are increasingly weighing on the local family-farming sector. Integrated water stewardship has emerged as the most critical point of contention; as mining processes demand higher volumes for ore processing and dust suppression, over 60% of smallholders in the Copperbelt now report significant changes in water availability. The reduction in irrigation flow, coupled with the risk of tailings effluent contamination, has contributed to a 9% year-on-year decline in maize yields near the mining concessions, underscoring the delicate balance between sub-surface wealth and surface-level productivity.
“In 2025, over 60% of Zambian farmers near Mopani Copper Mines report changes in water availability due to mining,” noted a recent industry report, highlighting the urgency of a unified resource management strategy. While the mining expansion has created over 2,300 new roles and directed 90% of its US$436 million procurement spend to local Zambian vendors, these economic gains are unevenly distributed. Rising land prices which jumped 24% in the last year and the displacement of informal land users have left many traditional farming households vulnerable to market volatility and food insecurity, despite the broader national GDP growth of 4%.
Looking ahead to 2026, the success of the Copperbelt will depend on the “progressive reclamation” of disturbed land, a policy mandated by tighter national environmental regulations. The government is increasingly pushing for community development agreements that legally require mining operators to invest in agricultural extension training and climate-smart cropping systems. By utilizing advanced geospatial data to harmonize mining footprints with high-value agricultural zones, policymakers hope to ensure that the drive to reach 3 million tonnes of annual copper output by 2031 does not come at the permanent expense of the nation’s ecological and agricultural heritage.
