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Agriculture
OVERVIEW
Agriculture is considered to be one of the corner-
stones of Zambia’s economic diversification pro-
gramme and is an important source of raw materials
for the manufacturing industry as well as an essen-
tial tool in the reduction of poverty and the narrowing
of the rural-urban divide.
Zambia has good arable land for both extensive and
intensive cultivation of crops, with some 58 percent
of its total landmass considered suitable for agricul-
tural production. The country also has a pleasant
climate and contains around 40 percent of the water
resources of the Southern African region, thereby
presenting a significant potential for widespread ir-
rigation as well.
Maize is Zambia’s dominant food crop and is pro-
duced by the majority of small-scale farms, while
larger agricultural projects have given way to cash
crops such as cotton, sugar and tobacco. While
small-scale production for subsistence is wide-
spread, some of the smaller farms focus on both
food production and cash crops.
Although maize is the main staple crop, rice and
wheat are becoming increasingly important for food
consumption, particularly in urban Zambia.
The livestock sector, while not as important as ar-
able farming, has also expanded in recent years. In
light of new objectives to diversify agricultural pro-
duction, it is hoped that Zambia may, like some of its
neighbours, successfully develop a vibrant livestock
industry to supply both the domestic and export mar-
kets.
Agriculture contributes approximately 16 percent
of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and is the
source of more jobs than any other sector in the
country (providing employment for some 85 percent
Maize Fields, maize is the daily staple of the majority of
Zambians
of the country’s workforce). Moreover, agricultural
activities are the main source of income for rural
Zambian women; a group that not only constitutes
nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of the rural population,
but are also among Zambia’s most impoverished
and vulnerable.
Bolstering agricultural activities and development
has thus been declared as one of the government’s
top priorities, fitting squarely into the 2010 Budget
theme of ‘Enhancing Growth through Competitive-
ness and Diversification’. In the same year, the
proportion of the National Budget allocated to the
agriculture and livestock sectors increased from the
2009 allocation of K 1,096.3 billion to K 1,139 billion.
Agriculture is also a key component of the Zambian
‘Vision 2030’ plan and the Sixth National Develop-
ment Plan (SNDP) 2011-2015. Its funding levels
have been set to rise to 9 percent of the domestic
budget, or potentially more, in the years to come.
FOOD SECURITY
Positive developments in agricultural growth over
the past several years have improved Zambia’s food
security due to improvements in maize production as
well as increased production of other crops such as
soya beans, rice and cassava. As a result, Zambia
has become a net exporter of food, with substantial
rising exports of cash crops such as tobacco and
cotton lint, as well as food crops such as maize. Fur-
thermore, efforts to diversify agricultural production
have spurred the growth of non-traditional agricul-
tural, horticultural, and floricultural exports, along
with having a positive effect on foreign exchange
earnings.
The Food Reserve Agency (FRA) plays an active
role in the purchase of various crops from small-
scale farmers, particularly those in remote areas,
guaranteeing a stable and ready market for their
crops. In addition, the agency has in the past been
able to supply disadvantaged households with re-
lief food through the Disaster Management and
Mitigation Unit and the World Food Programme.
As a result, most farmers are presently part of the
agricultural marketing network, with further improve-
ments set to focus on enhancing the capacity of the
cooperative movement and developing strategies to
increase Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).
For the 2010 financial year, K 100 billion was allo-
cated to the FRA to augment its ability to purchase
grains, while an extra K 10 billion has been set aside
for the Food Security Pack initiative designed to pro-