Evidence from three models of land and agricultural commercialization: Impacts on local livelihoods in Zambia
Abstract
The approach favoured by most donors is to stimulate growth in smallholder agriculture by a variety of interventions ranging from production technology to market development. Some, however, contend that agricultural productivity can better be enhanced through large-scale commercial farming. Such views have underpinned a resurgence of plantations mimicking or reviving the colonial estates and
state farms from the early post-colonial era. Large-scale land acquisitions have raised concerns about loss of land and livelihoods by rural communities but also could present opportunities for expanding employment and economic growth.