Zambia

Zambia’s agriculture sector provides the main support for the rural economy. This assertion is based on the fact that about forty nine percent of the Zambian population depends on agriculture, primarily through smallholder production for their livelihoods and employment (CSO, 2014). Notwithstanding this fact, in 2015 the sector contributed 8.5 percent to the GDP and approximately 9.6 percent of national export earnings (CSO, 2015; World Bank, 2016). The potential for agricultural growth in Zambia is staggering. With over 750,000 km2 of land, massive endowments in surface and sub-surface water resources, and a population density of just 19.24 people per km2, Zambia is uniquely blessed with the natural endowments to become the breadbasket of the southern and central African region.