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A layer of mist hangs over the beauty of the Great Bangweulu Basin wetlands, incorporating the vast Lake Bangweulu and a massive wetland area, in Lunga District, in the north of Zambia's Luapula Province, where the world wakes to water. For many families in Lunga, water is not just part of the landscape. It shapes movement, work, food, and time. It determines when people can travel, when they can plant, when they can fish, and sometimes, when they must wait.To reach Lunga a two-three-hour journey, one travels first by road from Samfya district via the Samfya harbour, a significant water transport facility on the shore of Lake Bangweulu that serves as the main point for accessing the islands and swamps in the area. At the harbour, one can charter a speedboat or canoe, depending on how adventurous you are, across open water, weaving through water channels where the grey-blue waters disappear into the horizon, blending in completely with the colour of the sky. It is difficult to tell just where the horizon is, and ‘Bangweulu’ is a fitting name, meaning ‘The Place Where the Water Meets the Sky.’ There are no roads in or out, only the Bangweulu wetlands: a vast system of swamps, lagoons and flood plains surrounding the district on every side.  Lunga's isolation is more than geographical. The district is among Zambia's most underserved, with nearly 80 percent of its residents living below the national poverty line, and Lunga is no exception. The impact on children is severe: local health data show more than 1,100 cases of severe acute malnutrition and another 1,400 cases of moderate malnutrition. Floods worsen the situation, destroying crops, cutting off communities, and deepening the already fragile food insecurity. Most families depend on fish, cassava, and rice reliably, but not enough on their own to meet the nutritional needs of growing children. In communities already separated from markets and essential services by water and distance, every planting season, harvest, and meal is a struggleYou cannot speak of Lunga without speaking of its rice. Known locally as “Umpunga wa Lunga,” it boasts a rich, distinctive aroma that fills the air long before the pot is opened. For farmers here, rice is more than a crop; it is part of the district's identity, a quiet source of pride, and a foundation for household food and income.Leonard Chilungu has known this way of life for as long as he can remember. A 35-year-old smallholder farmer and fisherman, he lives in Kabolole Village, under Chief Nsamba, with his wife Chishi and four children. His mornings begin in his rice field, set against a horizon broken only by reeds and water. He has relied on rain-fed agriculture to grow rice, maize, and a small portion of cassava, and when the season turns, he casts nets on the river for the fish that have long sustained communities like his. "At the moment, I mostly depend on farming because I feel it is more reliable," he says. The river, once dependable, has become less so. "Changes in weather patterns and rainfall are affecting the number of fish in the river, and poor fishing methods are reducing fish stocks and affecting livelihoods."Meanwhile, a few kilometres from Kambole village is Musenge Village, a fifty-minute boat ride from Leonard's home. Sylvia Mwewa speaks of the same pressures from a different vantage point. A 33-year-old rice farmer and mother of two, she has spent years navigating the challenges of farming in a flood-prone landscape. "The challenge comes when you do not harvest enough," she says, "because you will not have anything to plant the following year." During the 2024/2025 rain season, heavy rains submerged the fields of farmers who planted late as well as homes and food storage shed. Some lost everything. Others, like Sylvia, watched anxiously as the water rose and receded in her fields, hoping her crops would survive.For the families who live in Lunga, isolation is not an inconvenience; it shapes the price of a bag of rice and whether seeds, tools, and fertiliser are within reach. When climate shocks arrive, resulting in too much or too little rain, fish stocks falling, or crops submerged, the consequences sit heavily on households with few alternatives.It is within this landscape that the World Food Programme(WFP) is supporting more than 700 smallholder rice farmers across Lunga District. The assistance comes not as a single, sweeping intervention, but through seeds, training, and a pathway for financial inclusion enabling farmers access to finances to invest and help farmers recover and adapt to climate shocks. Working alongside the Government of Zambia and funded by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) through the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), WFP is helping communities strengthen their resilience and lay firmer ground for the seasons ahead, a more stable foundation beneath their feet.For Leonard, the seed marked the start of a new season's possibility. He established a nursery, transplanted the seedlings carefully into his field, and now watches the green shoots rising above the water with cautious optimism. "I am hopeful for a good harvest after the planting, and the rains have also been good," he says. He anticipates harvesting eight 50-kilogram bags of rice, enough to feed his family and sell a portion to meet other household needs. Sylvia shares a similar journey, one shaped by a growing sense of possibility. A founding member of the Tusunge Women’s Club in Musenge, she is part of a six-month-old savings group that has already raised and loaned out 1,000 kwacha (USD 51) among its members. When the group makes its first share-out in December, Sylvia hopes to invest in iron sheets and begin building a house for her children. “Saving money can support me during the share-out period,” she says. “It can also help me educate my children, even up to tertiary level.” Where once there was uncertainty about the next planting season, there is now a quiet determination and a plan taking shape.In the Great Bangweulu Basin, resilience is often quiet. But it is also uncertain. Leonard still watches the river for signs that the fish are returning. Sylvia's savings group meets again next month, and the rains will come whether the fields are ready or not. They plant. They save. They begin again, not because the hardship has passed, but because there is no other choice.In Zambia, WFP operates in hard-to-reach places, among communities often left behind, addressing both the immediate shocks and the long-term livelihood needs of populations in districts like Lunga. The goal is not simply to respond, but to make a lasting impact in the lives of Zambians.