Zambia has a population of approximately 19.5 million people.^[1] The country is relatively equally populated in its urban and rural regions, which account for 45%^[2] and 55%^[3] of the population respectively. Agriculture is a major source of employment for the country as it assumes 59% of the workforce.^[4] Yet, the sector accounts for only 3.4% of the national GDP.^[5]

The economy in Zambia is mainly dependent on copper. Although Zambia's agricultural sector employs more than half of the national workforce, its contribution to GDP has been gradually declining: in 2008, it was 12.2%. Smallholder yields have remained low since the beginning of the millennium, and sectoral growth averaged only around 2% annually for much of this period. The most commonly cited reason for poverty in rural areas is the inability to afford agricultural inputs and the lack of capital to start up or expand farms. The high cost of inputs, poor rural infrastructure, lack of oxen for ploughing, and the absence of rural financial services (apart from limited community-based schemes) make it difficult for smallholders to access needed resources.^[6]

The top produced commodities in Zambia are sugar cane, cassava, maize, soybeans and cattle milk.^[7] Zambia's top export commodities in terms of quantity are non-alcoholic beverages, soybeans, maize, and raw cane or beet sugar.^[8]