After liberalization of the Zambian economy, farmers were faced with the responsibility of finding the right buyers, negotiating prices and delivering produce leading to them incurring transaction costs. This study aimed at identifying and quantifying transaction costs factors and their impact on maize market participation for small holder farmers in Zambia. The study used primary data collected from a sample of 240 randomly selected households from Zambia's central Province. The Heckman's procedure was used to analyze factors affecting the likelihood and extent of participation in maize markets. The logit results (from the Heckman's two-stage process) show that ownership of assets such as radios and having access to alternative marketing channels increased the likelihood of market participation while the heckit results (OLS corrected for selectivity bias) shows that ownership of oxcarts, increased family size and experience in maize marketing were the factors that increased quantities of maize marketed. The study recommends provision of market information, improving accessibility to markets as well as increasing access to productive assets as means of alleviating impact of transaction costs.

Despite the enormous potential that indigenous chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) have for sustaining livelihoods, their production and marketing has been mostly neglected resulting in the sub-sector being highly underdeveloped with poor linkages between producers and consumers. The main objective of this study was to map and analyze the value chain for indigenous chickens in Lusaka and Central Provinces of Zambia. The study also analyzes the value added and the associated costs in the chain. Findings show that although almost all (99 percent) of smallholder households keep indigenous poultry, productivity and production is very low leading to low and unplanned sales. Low production is due to high mortality of indigenous chickens mainly as a result of limited producer knowledge of methods of disease prevention and breeding practices. The absence of processing along the value chain means that chickens are sold live (in open markets) and consequently cannot be retailed through formal channels like supermarkets leading to exclusion of potential middle and high income consumers. Although the value chain for indigenous chicken shows positive gross margins for all the players along the chain, there is need to address the various constraints affecting the value chain in order to improve the operation of the chain and hence lead to increased incomes for the value chain actors and at the same time ensuring cheap delivery of indigenous chicken in a more convenient form and in formal outlets.

Smallholders and the poor populations, especially in rural areas, tend to have little or no access to formal credit, which limits their capacity to invest in the technologies and inputs they need to increase their yields and incomes and reduce hunger and poverty. This mainly arises because financial institutions interested in serving this market face a myriad of risks and challenges associated with agricultural production and lending, including seasonality and the associated irregular cash flows, high transaction costs, and systemic risks, such as floods, droughts, and plant diseases. As a solution to the challenge of financial exclusion among the rural poor, several international development organizations have been using Village Savings and Lending Associations (VSLAs) as an alternative option to increasing financial inclusion among the rural communities in most developing countries. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, this study aimed to assess whether membership to these VSLAs results in significant improvements in household economic status as well as household food security. The results show that compared to non-members, members of these savings groups are more likely to have increased access to alternative and more sustainable financial tools. Membership to these savings groups is also associated with improved nutrition, education, living standards while the likelihood of being poor is also reduced.

In this article, we discuss how our academic research on disability and international development in five African countries has benefited hugely from active collaboration with advocates, practitioners, and policymakers, ultimately ensuring that research evidence is used to inform policy and practice. Whilst building such partnerships is seen as good practice, it is particularly important when working on disability issues, as the clarion call of the disability movement, 'nothing about us without us', attests. This is not just a slogan. Without the active and critical engagement of disabled people-as researchers, participants, advocates-the evidence gathered would not have the same impact. This article discusses experiences from research in Liberia, Kenya, Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Zambia. It highlights the challenges and opportunities such partnerships can bring in achieving the goals of leaving no one behind and doing nothing without the active engagement and inclusion of persons with disabilities.

The main objective of this study was to assess the major opportunities and constraints in Zambia's cotton industry. The study found that the cotton sector has considerable potential to contribute to growth and employment in Zambia as it currently accounts for direct and indirect employment of approximately 21% of the population and about 19% of agricultural Gross Domestic Product. The prominence of smallholder farmers in the sector is indicative of the income equity promotion potential of the cotton sector. However, the highly concentrated structure of the sector, with two key players currently accounting for about 80% of the total market share in ginning; the absence of regulatory mechanisms for setting of prices; the openness of the local market to global price fluctuations and the lack of support programmes as compared to competing crops like maize are major impediments to equity promotion in the sector. Overall growth of the cotton sector is also constrained by low productivity arising mostly from poor farming practices. Furthermore, increased production in major world markets due to subsidies and use of bio-technology in cotton production undermine the competitiveness of Zambia's cotton in international markets. For Zambia to realize the potential of the cotton sector, interventions need to be targeted at raising farm level productivity. The government should also facilitate informed policy debate and development on critical issues such as biotechnology adoption as well as facilitating consensus between cotton buyers and farmers on price setting mechanisms.