As climate change continues to tighten its grip on rural Zambia, the communities most affected are increasingly turning to a familiar source of guidance: their traditional leaders. With unpredictable rainfall, depleted soils and shrinking forest resources threatening rural livelihoods, climate-smart solutions are more necessary than ever — yet adopting them often requires people to rethink long-standing habits and social norms.

Recognizing this challenge, the Facility for Action for Climate Empowerment to Achieve Nationally Determined Contributions (FACE-NDC) is working with traditional chiefs and community leaders to promote behavioural change and strengthen local climate action. Through non-formal climate education and community dialogues, the initiative is helping rural households understand the impacts of climate change and adopt sustainable practices that protect both their environment and their way of life.

FACE-NDC is funded by the International Climate Initiative of the Government of Germany (IKI-Germany) and implemented by FAO, UNESCO, UNITAR, the University of Zambia and the Copperbelt University.

While climate-smart agriculture, sustainable forestry and renewable energy solutions are widely known, many communities struggle to adopt them because they require shifts in daily routines and long-held land-use practices. Behavioural science is therefore a core part of the initiative’s approach — helping identify what prevents people from changing and how trusted local voices can support new community norms.

In rural Zambia, traditional leaders are central to these efforts. As custodians of culture and land, they influence how communities manage natural resources, resolve disputes, and make decisions that affect future generations. By partnering with chiefs, FACE-NDC ensures that climate messages are not only heard but embraced as part of existing cultural values and community priorities.

During recent dialogues held under the initiative, Chiefs Macha, Cooma and Ndake underscored the need to blend local knowledge with science to develop solutions that communities can truly own.

“It is a very good move that indigenous knowledge is being appreciated and included into local climate change solutions,” said Chief Macha. “I am more than happy to be part of such an initiative that invests in local people while leveraging our traditions.”

For many leaders, the motivation is personal as well as communal. Erratic rainfall, depleted forests and crop losses are already affecting households across their chiefdoms.

“We are more than happy to collaborate and learn more about climate change to help our community,” noted Chief Cooma. “Its effects are visible and no one is spared.”

Beyond technical solutions, the dialogues highlighted a deeper issue: the need for mindset transformation. Even when farmers understand the benefits of climate-smart practices, fear of risk or attachment to familiar routines can slow adoption. Chiefs, as respected community figures, are uniquely positioned to help shift those attitudes.

Chief Ndake captured this sentiment clearly: “The key to true change lies not only in the resources we provide but in the minds we transform.”

Through community-driven education, peer-to-peer learning and leadership engagement, FACE-NDC aims to strengthen climate-resilient behaviours across rural Zambia. By rooting climate action in local traditions, values and leadership structures, the initiative is helping communities move from awareness to meaningful action.

As climate pressures intensify, the voices of traditional leaders may prove to be one of the country’s most powerful tools — guiding rural communities toward sustainable practices that safeguard both their livelihoods and their cultural heritage.