As a small-scale farmer who comes from a semi-arid area, Mwende said that the biggest lesson for her and her students during this year's trade fair is the fact that the route out of poverty for smallholder farmers in the wake of climate change begins with adaption and increasing resilience, which is one of the most effective ways to manage the effects of climate change.

"As a country with both arid and semi-arid areas, the effects of climate change have put our food security and many livelihoods at stake, demanding an urgent shift toward resilient and sustainable farming. Learning about sustainable agricultural practices offers us solutions by promoting practices that enhance productivity as well as climate change mitigation and adaptation," Mwende said.