07/06/2026
ZAMBIA’S AGRICULTURE NEEDS A NATIONAL RESET
Agriculture should not be treated as a seasonal campaign talking point.
NOT BECAUSE AGRICULTURE IS A CAMPAIGN SLOGAN, BUT BECAUSE AGRICULTURE IS THE FOUNDATION OF NATIONAL SURVIVAL, RURAL WEALTH, JOB CREATION, INDUSTRIALISATION AND FOOD SOVEREIGNTY.
Zambia is blessed with fertile land, water, hardworking farmers and a youthful population. Yet too many of our farmers remain poor, dependent and trapped in systems that do not reward their labour.
This must change.
For me, the future of agriculture is not about giving a farmer seed and fertiliser, then tying their harvest before they even know the market price. That is not empowerment. That is dependency dressed as support.
A farmer is not a passive beneficiary. A farmer is a producer, an entrepreneur, a wealth creator and a national asset.
Government support must empower the farmer, not capture the farmer.
My vision is to build a system where farmers have access to seed, fertiliser, extension services, irrigation support, mechanisation, storage and affordable financing, while still retaining the freedom to sell their produce at the best available market price.
Where government provides inputs or farming support, the farmer should be allowed to produce, harvest, store, negotiate and sell freely. After selling, the farmer can repay the government facility through a fair and transparent repayment system.
This would protect farmers from exploitation, strengthen household income and make farming a business of dignity rather than survival.
We must move away from a system where farmers are helped at the beginning of the season, only to be weakened at the end of the season.
Zambia must build a farmer centred agricultural economy. This means strengthening cooperatives, investing in storage, improving rural roads, expanding irrigation, promoting crop diversification, supporting livestock and fisheries, and building serious agro processing industries.
We must stop seeing agriculture only as maize. Maize is important, but Zambia’s agricultural future must also include cassava, rice, millet, sorghum, groundnuts, beans, soya beans, sunflower, fruits, vegetables, livestock, fish farming and value added products.
Food sovereignty means Zambia must feed itself, protect its farmers, control its food systems, reduce unnecessary imports and build strong local value chains.
The farmer who grows the food must not be the last to eat.
The farmer who feeds the nation must not be abandoned by the nation.
Agriculture must become a national wealth strategy. It must create jobs for youths, income for women, business opportunities for cooperatives, raw materials for industries and exports for the country.
Zambia’s future will not be built by speeches alone. It will be built by production.
And agriculture must be at the centre of that production.
The Future Is Bright — Unlocking Zambia’s Potential.
