TITLE:
The Farmer Input Support Program and Poverty Alleviation in Zambia: The Smallholder Farmer’s Perspective Using Intervention and Sustainability Theories
AUTHORS:
Odetta Nakanyika Kaoma, Mubanga Mpundu
KEYWORDS:
Farmer Input Support Program, Smallholder Farmers, Poverty Alleviation
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.10 No.8,
August
25,
2023
ABSTRACT: Zambia’s agricultural sector like many African countries is dominated by smallholder farmers living below the US$1.9 poverty line. Smallholder farmers are a very critical heterogeneous group in the global agricultural productivity as they supply sufficient food now and in the future. The Farmer Input Support Program (FISP) has continued to target the productivity of smallholder farmers to deal with poverty alleviation without consideration of farmers’ resources, incentives, aspirations, and capabilities. Intervention and Sustainability Theories were used to investigate the smallholder farmers’ experiences regarding poverty alleviation in the FISP. Qualitative research was adopted with the use of semi-structured interviews for data collection while data analysis was done using NVivo computer software. The research revealed that, to tackle levitating poverty levels a move from the current seed and fertilizer subsidy—FISP, to a more inclusive policy that would include other forms of farming is critical.