Maize cultivation in Zambia expanded by 82 percent between 2006 and 2024, while yields increased by only 14 percent, according to an assessment cited by The Continent. The article examines Zambia’s experience with agricultural policies influenced by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), which began operating in the country in 2007. Early interventions emphasized crop breeding and access to commercial seeds and fertilizers, followed by a national agricultural investment plan introduced in 2014.

Despite fertilizer use reaching 71 kg per hectare – reported as the highest among countries where AGRA operates – maize yields declined by 7 percent between 2018 and 2024. Drawing on analysis by Timothy Wise and the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, the resource raises concerns about reliance on hybrid seeds, synthetic fertilizers and maize monoculture. It also reports that as much as 75 percent of Zambia’s agricultural budget has been directed towards AGRA-related programmes. AGRA, meanwhile, reports reaching more than one million farmers and supporting over 5 000 agro-dealers, and states that its current strategy emphasizes sustainability, resilience, markets and country-led transformation.

The article connects these policy debates with farmers’ experiences. Rural poverty increased from 76.7 percent in 2015 to 78.8 percent in 2022, while farmers describe difficulties linked to fertilizer costs, credit and delayed payments for maize. Farmer and agroecology organizations consequently call for agricultural approaches that reduce external-input dependency and give greater attention to smallholder priorities, crop diversity and agroecological production.