Harvests have been reasonably good in recent years and Zambia is capable of producing sufficient food for its needs in aggregate. However, the World Food Programme describes food insecurity as widespread due to sensitivity to local rainfall patterns. Where yields are poor, subsistence farmers lack resources to purchase in the markets.

The country has entered 2009 with even less robust food security. Escalating costs of fuel and fertiliser through 2008 created difficulties for poor farmers which government subsidies have only partially eased. The authorities have been forced to resort to importing maize after difficulties in managing the relationship between state and private wholesalers. The availability of cheap government stocks of staple foods in the hunger season up to April 2009 has been tight with Southern Province experiencing the worst of the hunger.

When the USA sent genetically engineered maize as food aid in 2002, Zambia controversially refused to accept it for fear of negative impacts on health and contamination of its agricultural production and environment. This policy remains in place.

Help us to include all developing countries
Many countries are missing from our range of Country Briefings. OneWorld wants to fill these gaps as part of our efforts to improve understanding of the issues faced by developing countries. We receive no funding for the production of our educational resources. Every small contribution helps!