By Munguzwe Hichaambwa and David Tschirley

WORKING PAPER No. 17 FOOD SECURITY RESEARCH PROJECT LUSAKA, ZAMBIA September 2006

Demand for horticultural products grows rapidly with urbanization and increased income. While worldwide demand for cereals increased by about 20% per capita since 1960, demand for fresh produce more than doubled. Yet Africa, alone among developing areas, saw per capita supply of fresh produce decline slightly over the same period. Zambia's macroeconomic performance and the state of its infrastructure suggest that it has probably not escaped this trend. Reversing the trend will require concerted action throughout the supply chain, from farm to consumer, based on reliable information and on collaboration between the private and public sectors. The purpose of this paper is to begin generating the empirical information needed to launch a process of stakeholder consultation regarding the key challenges facing the country's horticultural sector. The paper is based on (a) analysis of a national smallholder household survey, and (b) a rapid market appraisal in Lusaka and Ndola.

Available for download at http://www.aec.msu.edu/fs2/zambia/wp_17.pdf [1]