Zambia’s agrifood system structure and drivers of transformation

Zambia’s agrifood system structure and drivers of transformation
Author: Diao, Xinshen
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 14
Release: 2023-07-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

Zambia experienced modest economic growth of 4.8 percent per year between 2010 and 2019 (ZamStats 2020). Most growth occurred in the earlier part of the decade. After world commodity prices fell in 2014, the GDP growth rate slowed to an annual rate of 3.1 percent (for 2014–2019), which is below the country’s population growth rate. The global COVID-19 pandemic further damaged the economy and GDP declined by 2.8 percent in 2020. The global commodity market disruptions related to the Russia Ukraine war that started in 2022 and the global recession in 2023 are expected to further harm Zambia’s economy (Arndt et al. 2023; Diao and Thurlow 2023). Zambia’s projected GDP growth rate is 3.9 percent for 2023 and 4.1 percent for 2024 (World Bank 2023). Its economy relies heavily on exports of copper and other minerals. While mining is a large sector in total GDP, it creates few jobs in the country. Agriculture remains important in employment, accounting for near 40 percent of jobs. In this brief, we unpack the historical and projected economic growth trajectory further to better understand the role of agriculture as well as the broader agrifood system (AFS) in the performance and transformation of the economy of Zambia.

Progress towards sustainable agriculture – Drivers of change

Progress towards sustainable agriculture – Drivers of change
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 102
Release: 2021-12-06
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9251354200

The Progress towards Sustainable Agriculture initiative (PROSA) is a framework that seeks to complement ongoing efforts on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and particularly indicator 2.4.1, to support country-level assessments using data already available at the national level. Making agriculture more sustainable – productive, environmentally friendly, resilient and profitable is fundamental, as agriculture remains the main source of livelihood for the majority of the world’s poor and hungry. The pathway towards sustainable agriculture must ensure increasing output, but also make more efficient use of increasingly scarce global resources, be resilient to and help mitigate climate change, and improve human well-being. This technical study examines the key factors driving changes in trends in the indicators of sustainable agriculture and provides decision-makers with insights into viable options for achieving this goal. The study identifies five key groups of drivers that most influence these indicators globally. The ways in which each driver affects the multiple dimensions of sustainability highlights the interconnections, synergies and trade-offs that must be managed in different global contexts to achieve agricultural sustainability. The analysis can help decision-makers operating in different country contexts to identify practical solutions to ensure that their interventions contribute positively to a more sustainable agriculture.

The Transformation of Agri-Food Systems

The Transformation of Agri-Food Systems
Author: Ellen B. McCullough
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 406
Release: 2012-05-23
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1136551751

'There should be a good market for this book. The topic is very timely and a major theme of the new World Development Report 2008. The editors and contributors are world class.' Derek Byerlee, World Bank 'This is a topic of wide interest and high policy importance. The depth of coverage and excellent synthesis should ensure that the book will have a substantial market in high-level undergraduate and graduate courses in agricultural development. It will have a solid readership among development economists and policy makers as well.' Mark Rosegrant, International Food Policy Research Institute The driving forces of income growth, demographic shifts, globalization and technical change have led to a reorganization of food systems from farm to plate. The characteristics of supply chains - particularly the role of supermarkets - linking farmers have changed, from consumption and retail to wholesale, processing, procurement and production. This has had a dramatic effect on smallholder farmers, particularly in developing countries. This book presents a comprehensive framework for assessing the impacts of changing agri-food systems on smallholder farmers, recognizing the importance of heterogeneity between developing countries as well as within them. The book includes a number of case studies from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe, which are used to illustrate differences in food systems' characteristics and trends. The country case studies explore impacts on the small farm sector across different countries, local contexts and farm types. Published with FAO

Agricultural production in Tajikistan: Evidence from twelve districts in Khatlon Province, 2015 - 2023

Agricultural production in Tajikistan: Evidence from twelve districts in Khatlon Province, 2015 - 2023
Author: Lambrecht, Isabel
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 21
Release: 2023-10-02
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

This report presents findings related to changes in household agricultural production between 2015 and 2023 in the twelve districts of Khatlon Province that constitute USAID’s Zone of Influence (ZOI). The analysis relies on household survey data from 2000 households interviewed in February-March 2023, and similar household survey data from 2000 households interviewed in February-March 2015.

The Transformation of Agri-food Systems

The Transformation of Agri-food Systems
Author: Ellen B. McCullough
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 410
Release: 2008
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9789251059623

The driving forces of income growth, demographic shifts, globalisation and technical change have led to a reorganisation of food systems from farm to plate. The characteristics of supply chains - particularly the role of supermarkets - linking farmers have changed, from consumption and retail to wholesale, processing, procurement and production. This has had a dramatic effect on smallholder farmers, particularly in developing countries. This book presents a comprehensive framework for assessing the impacts of changing agri-food systems on smallholder farmers, recognising the importance of heterogeneity between developing countries as well as within them. The book includes a number of case studies from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe, which are used to illustrate differences in food systems' characteristics and trends. The country case studies explore impacts on the small farm sector across different countries, local contexts and farm types

Transforming Agriculture in Southern Africa

Transforming Agriculture in Southern Africa
Author: Richard A. Sikora
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2019-11-27
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0429686633

This book provides a synthesis of the key issues and challenges facing agriculture and food production in Southern Africa. Southern Africa is facing numerous challenges from diverse issues such as agricultural transformations, growing populations, urbanization and climate change. These challenges place great pressure on food security, agriculture, water availability and other natural resources, as well as impacting biodiversity. Drawing on case studies from Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the chapters in this book consider these challenges from an interdisciplinary perspective, covering key areas in constraints to production, the most important building blocks of good farming practices, and established and emerging technologies. This book will be a valuable support for informing new policies and processes aimed at improving food production and security and developing sustainable agriculture in Southern Africa. This informative volume will be key reading for those interested in agricultural science, African studies, rural studies, development studies and sustainability. It will also be a valuable resource for policymakers, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and agricultural practitioners. This title has been made available as Open Access under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CCBY-NC-ND) license and can be accessed here: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780429401701

The Transformation of Agri-food Systems

The Transformation of Agri-food Systems
Author: Ellen B. McCullough
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 412
Release: 2008
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

First Published in 2008. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Gridded Livestock of the World, 2007

Gridded Livestock of the World, 2007
Author: William Wint
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO)
Total Pages: 148
Release: 2007
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

Informed livestock-sector policy development and planning requires reliable and accessible information about the distribution and abundance of livestock. To that end, and in collaboration with the Environmental Research Group Oxford (ERGO), FAO has developed the “Gridded livestock of the world” spatial database: the first standardized global, subnational resolution maps of the major agricultural livestock species. This publication describes how available livestock data have been collected and then enhanced by statistical modelling to produce a digital, georeferenced global dataset. It also provides varied and extensive examples of some of the applications for which the data have been used. The publication is intended to provide a formal reference for the dataset and to stimulate further applications and feedback from those most concerned with the development of the livestock sector, be they policy-makers, researchers, producers or practitioners in livestock-sector development.

Agricultural transformation in Africa: The role of natural resources

Agricultural transformation in Africa: The role of natural resources
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 70
Release: 2018-07-13
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN:

The present edition of Nature & Faune journal emphasizes the role of natural renewable resources within the framework of Africa’s agricultural transformation. Central to the transformation agenda is achieving greater prosperity which can improve peoples' lives and livelihoods. These improvements of lives and livelihoods cover their economic well-being; their environment; socio‐cultural and political sphere of influence. The conditions for modernizing Africa’s agriculture entail transforming not only production processes but also the products. This issue of the Journal highlights the unique features of Africa’s agriculture, including (i) the urgent need for improving productivity; (ii) the importance of the agricultural sector in Africa’s economies in terms of employment; and (iii) the climate-resilient opportunities within agriculture to cope with climate change challenges. It draws attention to the fact that the agriculture sector offers possibilities for increased productivity while also adapting to and mitigating climate change thus safeguarding also future production.

The Transformation of Rural Africa

The Transformation of Rural Africa
Author: T. S. Jayne
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 205
Release: 2020-04-28
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0429833466

Contemporary discussions of Africa’s recent growth have largely interpreted such growth in terms of structural transformation, based mainly on national- and sectoral-level data. However, the micro-level processes driving this transformation are still unclear and remain the subject of debate. This collection provides a micro economic foundation for understanding the particular growth processes at work within the region’s rural areas, and in so doing provides important insights for policy action. The book provides valuable household- and farm-level evidence about the drivers of rural labour productivity, improvements in access to markets, investment in food value chains, and indeed the role of rural economic growth in Africa’s ongoing rural transformation processes. Some of the features of Africa’s ongoing rural transformation are similar to those of agricultural transformation as experienced in Asia and elsewhere. However, other features of Africa’s rural transformation are unique, and pose important challenges for development policy and planning. Together, the studies compiled in this volume provide an updated, evidence-based, and policy-relevant understanding of where African countries are in their developmental trajectories and the region’s prospects for achieving inclusive forms of development over the next several decades. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Development Studies.