Effects of the agricultural food security pack programme in Zambia: the case of Mpulungu District

Abstract

Agricultural food programmes are one of the means to improve household food security for vulnerable small-scale farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. In Zambia, household food insecurity is entrenched among small-scale farmers. Despite the implementation of the food security pack programme by the Zambian government, there is scanty scientific information on the performance of the programme. The study reviewed the effects of the food security pack programme on land cultivation and maize crop productivity in Mpulungu district using a mixed-methods design. Using a simple random sampling and Slovin’s Formula, 147 beneficiaries and 152 non-beneficiaries were selected as questionnaire respondents. The study purposely selected two government officials, one traditional leader, and five focus groups for interviews and focus group discussions. Descriptive data were generated using SPSS and content analysis. The study revealed that 66% of the beneficiaries, cultivated between a quarter (0.25) and half (0.50) a hectare compared to the non-beneficiaries, whose 61% cultivated less than a quarter (<0.25) hectare. Similarly, 70.1% of the beneficiaries, harvested more than 20 (50kg) bags of maize grain on average, per 0.25 hectares of land compared to 8% of the non-beneficiaries for three farming seasons reviewed. The land cultivated by the beneficiaries had a larger mean (M ₌ 2.00) than the land cultivated by the non-beneficiaries (M ₌ 1.59). Maize crop productivity by the beneficiaries had a larger mean (M ₌ 4.25) than the non-beneficiaries (M ₌ 2.45). There was a statistically significant difference in land cultivation and maize crop productivity between the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries, with the former having more land cultivated and higher maize crop productivity than the latter. Administrative challenges in programme implementation were noticed. Farming inputs were received late and outside the planting period due to the centralised purchase system despite the beneficiaries performing better than the non-beneficiaries. Funds for the purchase of agricultural inputs were released late by the Zambian government. The study concluded that the food security pack programme had a significant positive effect on land cultivation and maize crop production for benefiting households. The study recommends decentralisation of the supply of farming inputs to the districts for timely delivery to the beneficiaries, increasing the number of beneficiaries, and timely release of funds for the purchase of farming inputs by the Zambian government. Key words: Agriculture, food security, small-scale farmer, empowerment, vulnerable farmers