This study assesses the effects of an agribusiness collapse, on the contracted growers and their surrounding communities in Lusaka Province, Zambia. In 2004, Agriflora Limited, a Trans-Zambezi Industries Limited (TZI) agribusiness in Lusaka Zambia was sold off. Agriflora Limited was one ofthe largest fresh vegetable exporters in Africa. It had contracted almost 500 small-scale farmers with 1-4 hectares of land within 50 km radius of Lusaka to grow vegetables for export. Makeni Cooperative Society was one of the targeted groups of growers. It grew baby corn, mangetout peas, and sugar snap and fine beans for export. The case study relied on both primary and secondary data. I undertook two months of ethnographic fieldwork utilising observations, in-depth interviews and informal discussions with some community members in Makeni. I also reviewed the literature on contract farming schemes (documenting both the negative and positive effects for growers) in developing countries. The case study showed that the impact of the collapse of Agriflora on the growers has been severe indeed; there has been a significant reduction in production with only a few farmers producing for export. Those that are producing are limited to one crop, baby corn. The effect on the local labour market (farm workers) has been quite drastic with a drop in employment. A new agribusiness company, York Farm, was sourced by the government for the contract growers of Makeni. York Farm has signed a procurement contract under which only sale and purchase conditions are specified. This means that, services such as extension services are no longer provided. It was also found that despite the price for baby corn at York Farm being better than what Agriflora used to offer the farmers, farmers are not producing peas which have a higher turnover than baby corn because York farm does not buy peas from the farmers. However, the farmers are hopeful that they will soon start producing peas after they pass the Eurep gap requirements. Furthermore, the farmers are still interested in contract farming as they are convinced that it can lead to higher farm incomes. While the neoliberal critique of the pre- Structural Adjustment agricultural policies was based on the need to improve rural farming income and productivity, my study shows that the contract farmers are not the "traditional" peasant farmers but retired civil servants or former public sector employees who lost their jobs during the contraction of the sector. In conclusion, my field work revealed that the collapse of Agriflora has had negative effects on the growers of MCS in terms a significant decrease in crop production, decline in farmer income, lack of technical assistance such as extension services, transportation problems (to take produce to the new market-York Farm) and reduced contraction in employment opportunities for farm workers.

Understanding direct and indirect defense mechanisms that enhance host plant resistance (HPR) and biological control is critical for successful development of an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. Cassava green mite (CGM) (Mononychellus tanajoa Bondar (Acari: Tetranychidae)) is a major arthropod pest of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) in Africa. Strategies to control CGM include HPR and biological control by use of exotic natural enemies particularly the predatory mite Typhlodromalus aripo DeLeon (Acari: Phytoseiidae). The success of the latter depends on continuous survival of the natural enemy which requires suitable host plants and weather conditions. Various plant morphological traits have been recognized as indirect defense mechanisms that enhance HPR to CGM, and/or attract T. aripo in cassava. It was envisaged that integration of HPR and classical biological control approaches through manipulation of such indirect defense traits would lead to a more sustainable management of CGM in view of anticipated climate change. Lack of information on farmers’ perception of CGM and preferred varietal attributes, and gene action controlling the inheritance of CGM resistance also limits success of resistance breeding and adoption of varieties. This research was undertaken to gather information on farmers’ perceptions of cassava varietal attributes and cultural practices in relation to CGM resistance, identify suitable sources of resistance and environments for future breeding; and to determine the nature of gene action controlling CGM resistance and the inheritance of plant morphological traits that enhance the ability of cassava to host and support continuous survival of natural enemies. High fresh storage root yield (FSRY), high storage root dry mass percentage (SRDM%), earliness combined with extended underground storability, and resistance to foliar pests and diseases are the major factors that influence adoption and retention of genotypes by farmers. Moles, termites and CGM are the most widespread and most damaging pests. However, due to the non-conspicuous nature of CGM, its effects are under-estimated and are given limited attention by farmers. The majority of the farmers are familiar with CGM leaf damage symptoms but they cannot associate them with the actual pest. Participation of farmers in field training and field research activities helps them to know CGM. Crop rotation, intercropping, removal of shoot tips, selective pruning of infested shoots, and burning of cassava fields are some of the ways used by farmers to manage CGM. Farmers associate hairy broad-leaved, tall cassava genotypes and pink leaf pigmentation (anthocyanin) with low CGM damage. There is substantial genetic variability in the Zambian cassava germplasm for CGM resistance and associated plant morphological traits such as leaf pubescence (Pbs), leaf retention (LR), stay green (SG), tip size (TS), tip compactness, and plant height (PH), stem diameter (StD), SRDM% and FSRY. Genotypes with wide or specific adaptability for these traits have been identified, and should be recommended for general or localized production and for use as sources of desired genes in crop improvement. Genotypes L9.304/147, 92/000, TME2, 4(2)1425, I60/42 and L9.304/175 combine wide adaptability with high levels of resistance to CGM. Genotypes Kapeza, L9.304/147 and 4(2)1425 are able to produce 13-15 t ha ¯¹ at 9 months after planting suggesting their potential for early bulking. This study has shown that both additive and non-additive gene effects play a role in the expression of CGM resistance and associated plant morphological traits. The best combinations of parents for resistance against CGM were 4(2)1425 x L9.304/147 and Mweru x L9.304/147, while L9.304/147 x I92/000 displayed combined resistance to CGM and cassava mosaic disease (CMD). The resistance of cassava to CGM is positively correlated with Pbs, LR, and TS, SG, PH, StD. Overall, the study has shown that there is wide diversity in the expression of valuable indirect defense traits among genotypes, indicating that there is scope for integration of biological control and host plant resistance for CGM in Zambia. The release of genotypes that exhibit high level of intra-season and inter-season stability for enhanced expression of LR, SG, and Pbs will minimize the impact of CGM on FSRY and SRDM% that results from seasonal effects. Such genotypes should also provide habitat for and thus help to ensure the survival of T. aripo in cassava fields. The study has contributed to the promotion of food security through identification of early-bulking genotypes which also have good potential for extended underground storability of roots. Early-bulking, high FSRY and SRDM% and SRR resistance are farmer-preferred traits. Therefore, enhancement of such traits through plant breeding is likely to increase the adoption of new genotypes by farmers. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

The enrichment of B-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, in the local sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.) cultivars is an attractive option in order to improve vitamin A intake in Zambia. The study was conducted to: 1) identify sweetpotato genotypes high in B-carotene content and high root dry mass (RDM) and to determine their combining ability, as measured through their progeny performance; and 2) screen progeny for root characteristics, yield, B-carotene content, and RDM. Firstly, a participatory rural appraisal (PRA) was conducted to determine the consumer preferences for sweetpotato. These preferences would form the basis for selecting desirable genotypes. Secondly, five selected parents were crossed in a full diallel for genetic variance studies. A selected subset of the diallel progeny were evaluated in three environments. Thirdly, 15 polycross progeny were evaluated for stability in five environments using additive main effect and multiplicative interaction (AMMI). The PRA revealed that consumers preferred high RDM combined with high fresh root yield. The diallel crosses recorded significant general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) effects for B-carotene, RDM, harvest index (HI) and root fresh yield (RFY). The ratios of GCA to SCA variances were large (0.68-0.92). Two high B-carotene parents exhibited positive high GCA effects, indicating that additive gene effects were predominant in the inheritance of B-carotene. Reciprocal mean squares were not significant for RDM but they were significant (p=0.01) for B-carotene content. The estimate of narrow sense heritability of RDM (76.3%) was high; but heritability of B-carotene (20.9%), HI (29.1%) and RFY (34.9%) were much lower. These results suggest that rapid genetic gains should be possible with mass selection breeding techniques based on the phenotype of the parent for RDM but progress will be slow for B-carotene content HI, and RFY. The AMMI analysis identified progeny G2 (B-carotene content = 5.0 mg 100 g-1 and RDM = 37%), G6 (B-carotene content = 4.7 mg 100 g-1 and RDM = 37%), and G8 (B-carotene content = 4.7 mg 100 g-1, RDM = 35%) from the polycross as stable across environments for both B-carotene content and RDM. Genotype G3 was best suited to one of the test environments and had the highest B-carotene content (9.421 mg 100 g-1) and a high RDM (35.47%). / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

Zambia is one of the Southern African countries that experienced drought between 2001 and 2003. As a result the country had low levels of maize harvest, which is the country's main staple food. The Zambian population depends on maize for both household food security and cash. For this reason the Government of Zambia appealed for help from the international community in order to meet the shortfall of maize with a view to feeding its starving population, particularly in the rural areas. In response to the government's appeal, World Food Programme, (WFP) a United Nations Food agency brought assistance in the form of 27,000 tonnes of genetically modified (GM) maize into the country in July 2002. The Zambian government, however, rejected GM maize in both grain and milled forms, citing health, environmental and trade concerns with the European Union. Thus the focus of the research was to understand, on one hand the government's action of rejecting GM maize as food aid, while on the other hand accepting that drought-stricken small-scale farmers would go hungry as a result of this decision. Understanding the perceptions of government action was therefore essential to understanding the situation the situation fully. In other words, was it a good scientifically based government decision, or was it one made for political gain? Moreover, the purpose of this research was to present arguments about the safety and benefits of Genetic Modification technology for the world, particularly the developing countries. The findings of the study were that the levels of GM technology awareness in Zambia low among technocrats and too low among the rest of the population. To this end, government officials, relevant NGOs and small scale farmers were interviewed. In addition, small scale farmers in Chongwe and Magoye participated in focus group discussions. The findings were that although the Chongwe community experienced drought in their area, they were of the view that the government was justified in rejecting the GM maize from 2001-12 because they did not want to contaminate their land which they regarded as very suitable for farming. On the contrary, the Magoye people were among the communities that had been anxious to get food and were therefore not happy with the government's decision. The hunger suffered at the time in this community caused them to loot the government stores of GM Maize (provided as food aid) before the government could recall the stocks. The issue of access to the GM maize was apparently more important than debating on the potential impacts that might have occurred to their community. Other findings were the Zambian government's decision to reject GM maize (as food aid) impacted negatively, both economically and socially, in these areas. The majority of small-scale farmers experienced food shortages and resorted to various coping strategies such as picking wild-fruits and roots in the bush in order for them to survive. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

This is an exploratory study on “Evaluation of Pass-on the Gift Concept on the Socioeconomic Welfare of Rural Households: The Case of SACHZEP and ELITE Projects in Katete District, Zambia. The main research objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of the PoG concept on the socioeconomic welfare of rural households. A mixed methods approach was used involving 124 household in the survey interviews, 5 FGDs and 18 key informant interviews. Study findings showed relationships existing between type of livestock with compliance to pass on the gift (p-=0.001), food security (p=0.001), income security (p=0.007) and education at 9th grade level (p=0.002). No relationship exists between livestock type with shelter status of beneficiaries. Livestock type, water scarcity, IKS and practices, sharing of knowledge, skills and livestock affects PoG impact on socioeconomic welfare of rural households. PoG is compatible with indigenous knowledge systems and supports Human Centred Development approach. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)