Evaluating the contribution of effective FISP implementation in Agriculture to Zambia’s Economic Growth

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the role of government interventions in Zambia’s agriculture sector, evaluating their impact on productivity and economic growth. The Farmer Input Support Program (FISP), the government’s flagship intervention, which accounts for most of the Ministry of Agriculture's budget, is currently being implemented in 10 provinces and 116 districts. The number of beneficiaries has remained static at 1,024,434 since the 2018 farming season. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research integrates qualitative and quantitative data gathered from farmers and stakeholders to gain a holistic understanding of the effectiveness and challenges of the FISP intervention. The findings reveal that 46.93% of farmers rate the FISP as effective or very effective, indicating that the FISP has facilitated improved access to agricultural inputs for smallholder farmers. Stakeholders opinion of FISP was that of a mixed nature some rating it effective and others rating it ineffective or indicating a neutral position It is important to note that even though the FISP has been rated so highly, the findings revealed that its implementation has faced systematics inefficiencies like delayed deliveries and inadequate targeting thereby limiting its potential. While interventions like FISP have made tangible contributions to Zambia’s agricultural productivity, their impact on the broader economic development is constrained by the systematic inefficiencies and fragmented stakeholder coordination. There is a need to digitize FISP operations, reduce delivery delays, and increase transparency.