Farmers in Zambia turn to homemade bokashi fertilizer as prices spike

Fertilizer prices spiked globally in 2026 after the Iran war choked off the Strait of Hormuz and halted international trade shipments, including fertilizers, according to NPR. NPR reported the effects were quickly felt in African countries, where smallholder farmers are often vulnerable to rapid changes in fertilizer costs.

Kanangwa Newlove, who farms 12 acres outside Lusaka, Zambia, said she has fertilized her plants for years with a homemade fermented compost known as bokashi. She said the method produces a potent organic fertilizer that is ready in weeks. According to NPR, bokashi has roots in ancient Korean farming traditions and was popularized in Japan.

NPR reported that ingredients are often easy to find on a farm: leaves or crop residues, animal dung, charcoal and ash from a fireplace. Farmers add yeast and a sugar source such as molasses or bananas to start fermentation. Newlove buries the mixture underground near her crops after a couple of weeks so it can break down completely. Bags of homemade bokashi sell for about $2.50 each at a market in Zambia, according to NPR.

Rabecca Mwila of the Knowledge Platform for Organic Agriculture and Agroecology in Africa said Zambian farmers "have been looking for alternatives — how to grow food but reduce costs." She said inputs such as bokashi "have come in to provide a cushion for them." Mwila said farmers report bokashi is cheaper and their soil is rebuilding, with earthworms visible.

Mwila said many farmers voice concerns about the longer-term impact of commercial fertilizers, saying soil is depleted by overuse of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. She said that as climate change makes rainfall less predictable and dry seasons longer, farmers are increasingly interested in inexpensive, sustainable options. According to NPR, the Kasisi Agricultural Training Centre offers bokashi training and often sends students to Newlove's farm.