Despite the resurgence of parastatal marketing boards and strategic grain reserves over the last decade in eastern and southern Africa, there is little empirical evidence about how their activities affect smallholder input use and cropping decisions. This paper uses panel survey data from...

Accurate information on farmer and consumer behavior is the foundation for Identifying public investments and policies that can effectively promote national food security and income growth objectives. This report synthesizes recent findings on smallholder crop marketing behavior and urban...

In spite of vast expanses of the country’s land currently being uncultivated, there is increasing evidence that a surprisingly high share of rural smallholder households face land constraints that adversely affect their productivity and ability to participate in agricultural supply chains.

This report evaluates the 2006/7 Malawi Government Agricultural Input Subsidy Programme (AISP). The main objective of the evaluation is to assess the impact and implementation of the AISP in order to provide lessons for future interventions in growth and social protection. The evaluation...

This policy brief highlights some of the key messages contained in the full report. However the problems and opportunities facing the industry are very complex, and cannot be easily summarized in this brief. Hence one goal of this policy brief is to encourage interested parties to obtain, review...

This policy synthesis highlights the key findings and conclusions contained in the full report, “Developments in Fertilizer Marketing in Zambia: Commercial Trading, Government Programs and the Smallholder Farmer.” The key objective of this policy synthesis is to summarize the key findings in...

The purpose of this note is to identify underlying causes and characteristics of the current crisis facing the industry and to propose a set of actions for further consideration by industry, government, and analysts. Because of the current crisis, this note focuses on actions that can be taken...

Input subsidies are the single greatest expenditure under poverty reduction programs in Zambia. Yet maize yields continue to fall well short of international standards. One major reason appears to be the yield limiting effects of acidity, which is highly common on Zambian soils. We suggest a...