National Agricultural Policy 2004 – 2015.

This National Agricultural Policy highlights the Vision, Policies and detailed strategies for the development of the Zambian Agricultural Sector during the period 2004-2015. The vision for the agricultural sector is “to promote development of an efficient, competitive and sustainable agricultural sector, which assures food security and increased income”. It recognizes the need to strengthen and expand the emerging opportunities and to deal with the challenges facing the agricultural sector. This vision also strives to contribute to the overall goal of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), which is to achieve “poverty reduction and economic growth”. In line with this vision, the specific objectives of the agricultural sector are: to assure national and household food security; to ensure that the existing agricultural resource base is maintained and improved upon; to generate income and employment to maximum feasible levels; to contribute to sustainable industrial development and; to expand significantly the sector's contribution to the national balance of payments.
To achieve the above objectives, the strategies include: strengthening and monitoring the liberalization of markets and facilitating private sector development; strengthening the capacity of agencies handling agricultural products for export in ensuring that the products meet the standards and sanitary and phytosanitary requirements for export markets; promoting and securing access of agricultural products to both local and international markets; diversifying agricultural production and utilization; strengthening and facilitating the provision of agricultural services; reviewing and realigning institutional and legislative arrangements; facilitating availability of and accessibility to land for agriculture and development of infrastructure in potentially productive agricultural areas; developing and promoting appropriate technology; promoting gender equity in resource allocation and access to agricultural services focusing more on women and young farmers; promoting sustainable and environmentally sound agricultural practices; preventing and controlling of pests, crop and livestock diseases of national economic importance; promoting conservation of fisheries resources; strengthening emergency preparedness through early warning and timely and efficient crop forecasting; promoting irrigation development; promoting and strengthening Cooperatives and Farmer Organizations as a vehicle for agricultural development; facilitating provision of incentives for local and foreign agricultural investment; strengthening information collection and dissemination; re-enforcing the sector’s regulatory functions; this will also include liaising or coordinating with the appropriate institutions or bodies responsible for the regulation of the use of biotechnology and the resulting products, particularly Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs); maintaining agro-biodiversity and promoting conservation of aquatic ecosystem and sustainable utilization of natural resources.
The long-term vision for the agricultural sector encompasses the following: to achieve food security for the majority of the Zambian population through increased yields and improved post-harvest management and utilization; to develop a commercial agriculture with most farmers (small and large) producing for the domestic and export markets. to promote a competitive and efficient agriculture based on regional comparative advantage; to develop a diversified agriculture linked to well developed agribusiness industry for value adding and exports. to facilitate the entry of co-operatives and farmer organizations into highly competitive and commercial agriculture; to facilitate development of Fisheries and Livestock sub-sectors; to have agriculture that utilizes natural resources on a sustainable basis for income and employment generation and economic growth.