Food Policies and Food Security in Zambia

Between 1964 and 1991, Zambia’s agricultural policy aimed at ensuring food security through increased crop production. In order to provide incentives for production, notably of maize, the national staple food crop, the government introduced uniform prices for inputs and guaranteed uniform producer prices. When the new government came to power in November 1991, it started to liberalize agricultural production and marketing. A National Task Force (NTF) was appointed to formulate a new agricultural policy up to the year 2010. The present author, member of the NTF, outlines the main features of Zambia’s new agricultural and food policies. These concern agricultural research, agricultural extension, irrigation, agricultural credit, crop production, and national food security.