Mid-term evaluation of the Conservation Agriculture Scaling-up (CASU) project

Abstract

Over the years, Zambia’s conventional agricultural farming methods have been insufficient to meet national food requirements due to a variety of factors including low farm productivity; high HIV and AIDS prevalence which affects the most productive age group; the frequent occurrence of climatic shocks in rain fed agriculture; the degeneration of farmer support services/infrastructure; and inconsistent agriculture policies. Maize productivity among small-scale farmers has been reducing from about three metric tons per hectare at independence to the current 1.3 metric tons per hectare hence making some households food insecure.