Is Smallholder Horticulture the Unfunded Poverty Reduction Option in Zambia? A Comparative Assessment of Welfare Effects of Participation in Horticultural and Maize Markets

Recent significant agricultural growth without rural poverty reduction in Zambia is causing concern to policy makers, development specialists, and other sector stakeholders. It is generally agreed that agricultural growth is the most powerful tool out of poverty for developing countries where the majority of the population is in agriculture. Zambia’s policy focus since the pre- and post-independence period has been on a single crop, maize, for which it has in the past decade spent over 60% of the annual public expenditure in the sector through maize input and output subsidies.