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RURAL FOOD SECURITY IN ZAMBIA
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Dissertation
RURAL FOOD SECURITY IN ZAMBIA
1987
Overview
The purpose of this study was to provide a better understanding of food security problems in Zambia from a rural household perspective. The study specifically addresses itself to how households meet target consumption levels on a yearly basis in the face of fluctuating production, prices and household incomes. The dissertation includes a descriptive analysis of the food grain production and distribution system in Zambia, followed by an investigation of rural households' food production and disposal behavior, including the utilization of on-farm storage facilities. The data used in the analysis were collected by the author from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data were collected from a sample of 132 rural households in Mumbwa District, between July and November 1985. Secondary data were collected from published and unpublished reports from a number of government departments, parastatal organizations and international agencies. Maize is the major food grain produced in Zambia and is also the main staple food commodity. Besides being the most important food item among the rural households, it is also the main source of income. Over 60 percent of the maize produced is used for home consumption, the rest is sold to the monopsonistic grain marketing board or cooperative unions that operate in each Zambian province. The government policy of pan-territorial and pan-seasonal pricing has made it unprofitable to store food crops on farms and has encouraged farmers to sell the grain following the harvest. This has made rural food deficit households more vulnerable to food insecurity. The public sector grain marketing system operates to move grain from rural areas to urban centers but have largely neglected the backflow of grain. Grain deficit households in rural areas mainly depend on other rural households for supplemental food supplies. The investigations also revealed that households undertake various actions to guard against poor food harvests. These include storing more grain than what is required in a single season, undertaking other agricultural activities that can raise income, such as growing vegetables and other cash crops, practicing mixed cropping or selling animals, beer and fish. Beer selling was particularly common among the low income households.
