Zambia - Agricultural Sector Investment Programme

The Agricultural Sector Investment Programme (ASIP) was initiated in Zambia in response to the strong dissatisfaction of both the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) and donors with the country’s low agriculture growth rates. The programme will support agricultural development research and extension services, training of project staff and beneficiaries, livestock development, infrastruture and rural credit. ASIP has a priority in the development programme of Zambia. It aims at alleviating poverty especially in the rural areas. ASIP will foster an enabling economic environment for private sector development through improvement on the essential agricultural services to farmers, and increasing investment in rural infrastructure. It will also provide a conductive framework and combine resources for Zambia’s public agricultural support services. The programme will enhance the effectiveness of public sector management by replacing more than 180 separate project units in the agricultural public expenditure programme with a single operation, managed by Zambians. Most important is that the ASIP will focus on the smallholders and women farmers, the groups with substantial untapped growth potential. The study will benefit the people and Government of Zambia, as well as participating donors, because through it, a demand driven programme will be constituted. The programme costs are estimated at ZM K 48.669.94 million or UA 27.19 million.