From global vision to country action: post-2015 development strategies and food security in Zambia

This report examines the alignment between global, regional, and national development strategies for food security and sustainable agriculture in Zambia. It finds significant gaps between the aspirational goals of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the actual implementation of policies in Zambia, which remain heavily focused on maize production and large-scale commercial farming. While national policies mention diversification and sustainability, political incentives and subsidy structures (like the FISP) reinforce a maize-centric system that fails to address systemic barriers to food security for smallholder farmers. The report suggests that small-scale ICT interventions and conservation farming offer potential pathways toward the SDGs, but require systemic shifts in governance and investment to be scaled effectively.

• There are significant discrepancies between global, regional, and national policy objectives for food security. While the African Union's Common Africa Position on the Post-2015 Development Agenda aligns well with the UN Open Working Group (OWG) proposal, Zambia's national development plan and Vision 2030 focus less on systemic barriers.
• Current agricultural interventions in Zambia are often disconnected from national policy objectives and the proposed SDG targets. Specifically, the Farmer Input Support Program (FISP) focuses on increasing maize production volumes through subsidies, which has not effectively addressed the stability, access, or utilization aspects of food security.
• Zambia's national strategy prioritizes the agricultural sector as a driver of economic growth and export competitiveness, whereas the UN OWG proposal centers on human well-being. This has led to the establishment of farm blocks that primarily benefit large-scale farmers and investors rather than the poorest smallholders.
• Strong political and cultural incentives to maintain maize production hinder crop diversification and the adoption of sustainable practices. Efforts to shift support away from maize often stall during election periods due to the reliance of rural voters on the sector.
• Conservation farming is promoted as a climate change adaptation strategy, but adoption remains limited and unstable. Barriers include low funding, high initial labor and capital requirements, and a culture of dependency on government subsidies.
• Small-scale interventions using ICT show promise for aligning Zambia's agricultural sector with SDG objectives. Examples include e-extension programmes for livestock disease, price information services for maize to reduce market volatility, and the piloting of an e-voucher system to allow farmers to select preferred inputs.

APA

Weitz, N., Nilsson, M., Barron, J., & Mothabi, T. (2015). From global vision to country action: post-2015 development strategies and food security in Zambia. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/NEW/SEI-PR-2015-04-Zambia-1412r.pdf

Chicago

Weitz, Nina, Måns Nilsson, Jennie Barron, and Thabileng Mothabi. From global vision to country action: post-2015 development strategies and food security in Zambia. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2015. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/NEW/SEI-PR-2015-04-Zambia-1412r.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Weitz |first1=Nina |last2=Nilsson |first2=Måns |last3=Barron |first3=Jennie |last4=Mothabi |first4=Thabileng |title=From global vision to country action: post-2015 development strategies and food security in Zambia |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2015 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/NEW/SEI-PR-2015-04-Zambia-1412r.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{weitz2015from, author = {Weitz, Nina and Nilsson, Måns and Barron, Jennie and Mothabi, Thabileng}, title = {{From global vision to country action: post-2015 development strategies and food security in Zambia}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2015}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/NEW/SEI-PR-2015-04-Zambia-1412r.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }