Rural Income Generation and Diversification - A Case Study ... - Doria

safety-first principle, Zambian households aimed at securing annual maize production of 200
kg per capita, but this was not reached in Eastern province after the 2001/02 season.
A major factor contributing to the level of income from crop sales in 2003 seemed to be access
to cotton-producing contracts during the previous growing season. In the highest tercile,
34 households sold cotton compared to 35 in the middle-income and nine in the low-income
terciles. The average income per household from cotton sales was ZMK 392,329. Cotton
growers cultivated 0.83 hectares more land per household on average than non-cotton growers,
and had a total income of ZMK 2,006,341, while the non-cotton growers’ income was
significantly lower at ZMK 1,420,723. Maize had a reduced role as a cash crop in 2003 when
only 30 households sold it, receiving on average ZMK 245,276. Groundnuts were also important
as a cash crop in Eastern Province: 69 households sold some of their groundnut production,
giving them an average sales income of ZMK 109,483.
In terms of cultivation methods, nine per cent of the households in the low-income group, 32
per cent in the middle-income group, and 49 per cent in the high-income group used oxen,
while the rest used hand tools. The crop, farm and total income of the households ploughing
with oxen was significantly higher than among those limited to hand hoeing.
There were two main input categories in crop production: fertiliser for maize, cotton and
chemicals for cotton. Fertilisers were used by 24, 33 and 62 percent of households in the
low-, middle- and high-income group, respectively. Insecticides were included in the cotton
out-grower package, and therefore the application of pesticides was normal practice among
the contract farmers. Households farming larger areas also used fertilisers more often than
those with smaller areas.
The correlation between fertiliser use and maize yield was significantly positive. With an
average cost of ZMK 75,000 per 50 kg bag of fertiliser and an observed average increase in
maize yield of 386 kg/ha, the use of fertiliser was profitable, whereas with cotton the increase
in yield did not cover the cost of the fertiliser. In general, the fertiliser users obtained
significantly higher income from their crops than the non-fertiliser users, which was also reflected
in their higher farm and total income.
A lack of money was given as the main reason for not using improved maize seeds and fertilisers,
the second reason being the non-availability of fertilisers especially in areas with no
commercial outlets. Private traders were the most important source of inputs, and only a
couple of farmers used cooperatives or non-governmental organisations. The use of fertiliser
was twice as common in the study site nearest to the provincial capital than in the more remote
areas, suggesting severe availability problems. Limited access to and availability of
fertilisers was actually mentioned by the respondents as the most severe threat to crop production,
and to the entire well-being of the household.
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