Zambian farm blocks: A vehicle for increased private sector investments

Abstract

The Zambian government has introduced the farm block development programme (FBDP) to facilitate agricultural land and rural development and encourage private sector investment. This study assessed whether the FBDP achieves these goals. Key obstacles and possible opportunities were also identified and, where appropriate, specific corrective actions were recommended. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted in Lusaka with various stakeholders of the FBDP. The FBDP is designed to facilitate agricultural land development and encourage private sector investment. However, the programme falls far short in terms of implementation, amidst policy uncertainty and lack of support. This is evident by the insecurity of land tenure which negatively affects small- and medium-scale producers’ access to financing, lack of infrastructure development of these farm blocks, and constraints in the agricultural sector such as low labour productivity and poor access to service expertise. It is recommended that innovative policy interventions should be created to support agricultural development. This can be achieved by following a multistakeholder approach through involving private, public and non-profit sectors such as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and donors.

Does Title Increase Large Farm Productivity? Institutional Determinants of Large Land-Based Investments' Performance in Zambia

“…Although acquiring title should be much easier within blocks as no conversion to state land is required, demand and willingness to pay for such documents are, if anything, higher inside blocks than the immediate vicinity. This may suggest binding supply side constraints to accessing title beyond land conversion in line with studies suggesting that farm blocks often fail to offer higher levels of tenure security or marketability of land, thus not meeting the expectations placed on them (Middelberg et al 2020).…”

“…7 as clusters for large farm development had been put in place. 11 The idea was that through such schemes, infrastructure and markets would be easily available (Middelberg et al 2020) together with land to stimulate commercial agriculture and boost food security. The impact of this strategy is debated, partly because it mixed political and economic objectives (Roth 1995): some studies find blocks generated employment-and income-benefits (Matenga & Hichaambwa 2017) by providing market linkages (Burke et al 2020b) and involving out-growers (Manda et al 2020).…”