Introduction to the Rural Life and Agriculture Tour
On this tour you are going to be taken to four farms. Each farm is very different and each have their own set of economic problems. As you become aware of these you could perhaps reflect on the causes and possible solutions.
As with most LDCs agriculture is one of the main cornerstones of the economy. Over 60% of Zambia's population live in rural areas and the agricultural sector employs about 68.5% of the population and accounts for about 19% of its GDP.
% of GDP in agriculture, industry and service 1997
Agriculture
Much agricultural output is subsistence, growing maize and other crops for family consumption, and does not reach the market place. Most of the marketed maize output is produced by the mainly white settler run commercial farms. However there are an increasing number of small and medium scale African farms producing cash crops such as maize or sorghum and sweet potato. It will become apparent through the tour how important the maize crop is to rural communities.
Due to the country's climate it has the potential to expand agricultural production considerably. It is estimated that of the total land area of 75 million hectares, whilst 42 million is available for agriculture, only 14 million is cleared. Much of this land has traditionally been communally owned. There has been a move towards privatisation in the 1990s. This has been extended to land ownership and the balance between communally owned and private land is changing in favour of the latter.
However, at present due to low levels of productivity, recent droughts and lack of investment in the agricultural sector the farms have been unable to produce enough maize, the staple crop, to meet the annual domestic demand resulting in increasing quantities being imported from South Africa.
The soils of Zambia are generally acidic and not especially fertile. They do not provide much opportunity for permanent agriculture. Chitemene, a traditional form of slash and burn cultivation, has evolved. However, this involves leaving land uncropped for many years. With increasing pressure for land from an ever-growing population these traditional systems are producing lower and lower crop yields.
As rural poverty has worsened people have left their villages and migrated to areas where they think that they can survive. Some move into the urban areas, some have leased small plots of land with the intention of growing cash crops and some have moved into the forests and eke out a living producing charcoal.
The commercial farms, mainly owned by white settlers or their families are often larger and able to take advantage of a variety of economies of scale. Many concentrate their production in primary commodities such as coffee, and horticulture producing commodities for the European markets. Nevertheless there are an increasing number of small and medium scale commercial farms that are looking towards non-traditional forms of farming such as floriculture. As is often the case their small scale makes them vulnerable to changes in market conditions.
As you visit each farm the environmental impact of the various production methods will also become apparent. Strategies that government is introducing or might consider as alternatives are considered.
Related Glossary Items:
Primary Industry
Relative Poverty
Absolute Poverty
Cash Crops
Chitemene
Primary Products
Productivity
