Tourism in Zambia relates to tourism in the African nation Zambia. The tourism industry is a major and growing industry in Zambia. Zambia has more than 2500 lions along with several National parks, waterfalls, lakes, rivers, and historic monuments. Zambia has been involved in several agreements on tourism with neighboring nations like Uganda and Kenya. Uganda Ministry of Tourism and Arts said Zambia is a model in tourism in Africa. Zambia Tourism Agency (ZTA) has partnered with the Government and private sector to enhance the marketing aspect in the tourism industry
Lusaka city region is made of
8 districts: Lusaka, Mumbwa, Chibombo, Chisamba,
Shibuyunji, Chongwe, Kafue, and Chilanga. This area is defined on the basis of the origin and flows of the food commodities that represent the typical food basket of the city region dwellers. It
has been estimated that around
60% of the food consumed in Lusaka is produced in the city region area. The area covers 4.3 million hectares and includes districts from both the Lusaka and Central Provinces.
Food production: Who feeds the city region?
In Lusaka city region, approximatively half of the households involved in food production. As shown in the map below, the main produced items are: maize (94% of smallholder farmers), chickens (68%), groundnuts (60%), sweet potatoes (58%), vegetables (45%), goats (30%), cattle (23%), mixed beans (18%), cassava (12%) and cotton (10%).
To feed the city region, basic food products come mostly from rural areas outside the city region, within Zambia or imported from abroad. Provision
of fresh products come mainly from peri-urban areas within the city region. Nevertheless, despite agroecological and economic potential, the demand for horticultural products is higher compared to the local supply.
Agricultural production in Zambia and in the city region is facing several challenges. Smallholder farmers are mostly provided inputs by the government through the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) programme, which has not, generally, encouraged crop diversification, particularly before the introduction of the electronic voucher.
Access to land for farmers is regulated through the council or through the chief and/or headman of the village (titled land or traditional land, respectively). The requested financial contribution to access land, particularly statutory land, is often limited for farmers that cannot afford it.
Only 25% smallholder farmers are using conservation agriculture practices. The use of agrochemicals remains high, and sometimes not handled in a sound manner, endangering the workers’ health and the environment.
Food processing, distribution and marketing
Despite the number of large scale food processing plants present in the city region, most products from smallholder farmers in the selected districts are sold raw with little value addition. Particularly, there is little on farm transformation, which results in important food losses and waste, especially in terms of fresh horticulture products.
The transport network in Lusaka city region appears to be limited, particularly in the rainy season when rural roads are difficult to traverse. Moreover, in the city region, farmers are lacking good quality storage facilities, on farms, during transportation and at the market that negatively impacts the conservation
of especially fresh products. The poor quality of transportation and storage facilities is responsible for considerable losses and waste due to damages.
The Soweto market (in Lusaka), one of the most significant market channels responsible for sustaining commercialization in the city region and in Zambia, represent practically the only important food distribution hub in the city region, both for wholesaling and retailing.
