Find Agriculture expertise in Zambia
- Industry
- Development
Industry
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries contribute 20% of Zambia’s GDP (2010). The majority of people live in rural areas and are engaged in agriculture, mainly as subsistence farmers, with maize as the staple food. Approximately 85% of the population is involved with agriculture in either subsistence or commercial farming and 31% of the land is used for crops and pasture. There is a significant commercial agriculture sector, which in the 2000s saw steady growth in the production of cotton, fresh flowers, soya, tobacco and vegetables, mainly for export to the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Southern Africa. Other agricultural products include coffee, peanuts, sorghum, sunflower seed, cassava, rice and sugar cane, as well as cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, eggs and hides. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock is responsible for agriculture at a federal level.
Development
According to the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report (2012-2013) Zambia receives a score of 4.4 out of 7 in relation to agricultural policy costs, above the world average of 3.9. This ranks the country 25th out of 144 countries worldwide. The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives states its vision for the agriculture sector is to have a competitive, sustainable and export led agriculture sector that provides food security and increased income by 2030. Zambia has an unsigned contract with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), which is an initiative led by African governments to combat hunger and poverty through growth and development of the agricultural sector. Other governmental initiatives in the agricultural sector include the National Agricultural Policy (NAP) and the Private Sector Development Programme (PSDP). NAP is concerned with the liberalisation and commercialisation of the agricultural sector as well as promoting public and private partnerships to ensure sustainable growth. PSDP is designed to improve the climate for investment in the country and to improve import and export services for horticultural and livestock.
Agriculture organisations in Zambia | |
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Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives |
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Zambia Agriculture Research Institute |
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Zambia Sugar Plc. |
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