Agriculture engine for economic growth

May 12, 2016

VIOLET MENGO

Lusaka

Agriculture remains the key priority sector in the growth and poverty reduction agenda of Zambia. Over 70 percent of the population derives its livelihood from agriculture.

The sector contributes significant proportion to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) averaging about 18 percent per annum. 

Agriculture is significant for Zambia because of the country’s largest tracts of well-watered land suitable for different kinds of cultivation and animal husbandry.

Zambia has potential to expand agricultural production given the vast resource endowment in terms of land.

Despite the suitable land, the sector has not performed well.

In  an effort to fully   exploit   agriculture,  the country has developed   well-articulated  agricultural  policies  and  strategies  which  emphasise  objectives  such  as attainment   of   food   security,   maximising   farmers’   incomes,   promoting   sustainable agriculture, and enhancing private sector roles in input and output markets.

And the country has continued to receive support from different stakeholders and partners aimed at enhancing agriculture.

The European Union (EU) is prepared to support the development of an environment that is required for Zambia’s agriculture to transform into one of the main drivers of economic growth and poverty reduction, bearing in mind that poverty is concentrated in rural areas.

EU ambassador to Zambia and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Alessandro Mariani on Tuesday said the union wants to do more, better and faster in recognition that agriculture sector is a primary source for the very much needed diversification of the Zambian economy.

The Financial Agreement for the second Performance Enhancement (PEP) to support both the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock was signed.

Mr Mariani said the support to the agriculture sector will focus on efficient and effective public- private partnership to facilitate farmers to quality inputs and services, on the one hand and farmers’ access to domestic, regional and international

The European Union has been engaged in supporting the development of Zambia’s agriculture sector since 2006.

Under the ongoing 11th European Development Fund, the European Union and Zambia have agreed to scale up their development partnership in the agriculture sector with an allocation of  K110 million.

Support to agriculture from the European Union has focused on assisting smallholder farmers to increase their productivity by getting a better access to inputs, services and markets by adopting conservation agriculture.

But the European Union is among the cooperating partners directly supporting capacity and management reforms within the ministry of agriculture and the ministry of fisheries and livestock.

A first phase of PEP was implemented between September 2012 and December 2015 and had a budget of K70 million. 

It also improved the sector policy development, planning and for ministerial staff in the field and enhance the ministries monitoring and evaluation.

PEP assisted the ministry of agriculture, fisheries and livestock to establish a change management mechanisms for better service delivery and organizational, efficiency of the ministries.

The II PEP will assist the two ministries to improve their capacity to deliver quality service to smallholder farmers in extension services, research and nutrition.

More specifically, PEP 11 will strengthen three core functions of the two ministries.

1.     The use of evidence based data in policy making, planning and budgeting will be supported.

2.     The ministries staff will receive specific training and support to deliver extension services in a manner that contributes to increased productivity and improved food and nutrition security in small scale farming households.

3.     The vital role of agriculture in addressing nutrition outcomes will be strengthened by better strategic planning and mainstreaming of nutrition services at front line.

It is expected that the two ministries play their role in ensuring that PEP works according to plan and make the best of the opportunities provided by this project.

It is also expected that the two ministries will continue providing adequate ownership of the reforms and advocated by stakeholders both at central and field level. 

This including effective extension services for farmers and diversification from maize to allow the development of nutrition sensitive crops and foster agricultural research in support of evidence based policy development and state of art extension work.