Is the Glass Half-empty or Half Full? An Analysis of Agricultural Production Trends in Zambia

This policy brief highlights some of the key trends in Zambia agricultural production since the implementation of partial agricultural reform.food security, food policy, Zambia, agricultural production, Farm Management, Q18,

Is the Glass Half-Empty or Half Full? An Analysis of Agricultural Production Trends in Zambia

One objective of this paper is to examine the trends and changes in crop production before and after the implementation of the partial market liberalization policies starting in the early 1990s. Another objective of the paper is to assess agricultural production performance and its implications for household food security. These issues are examined on the basis of the Crop Forecast Survey (CFS) data, Post Harvest Survey (PHS) data, Central Statistical Office (CSO) price data, data from the Agricultural Market Information Centre (AMIC) at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries (MAFF), and other data.food security, food policy, Zambia, crop production, Crop Production/Industries, Q18,

Markets Need Predictable Government Actions to Function Effectively: The Case of Importing Maize in Times of Deficit

Food relief for vulnerable groups is important in times of deficit. For the remainder of the population, well functioning grain markets can save lives during times of food shortfalls. This note illustrates how predictable Government behavior in the market can improve markets’ ability to meet the needs of consumers.food security, food policy, Zambia, maize, Agricultural and Food Policy, Marketing, Q18,

How Will the Proposed Crop Marketing Authority Affect Food Market Performance in Zambia: An Ex Ante Assessment to Guide Government Deliberation

This paper aims to summarize the rationale and objectives of the Crop Marketing Authority and the possible consequences of adopting the proposed legislation. We also identify where the proposal, in its current form, requires additional specificity in order to evaluate its ability to meet Government’s objectives of enhancing food security and sustainable crop marketing.food security, food policy, crop marketing authority, Zambia, Marketing, Q18,

How Will the Proposed Crop Marketing Authority Affect Food Market Performance in Zambia? An ex Ante Assessment to Inform Government Deliberation

Abstract: This policy synthesis highlights some of the key messages contained in the full report with the same title. It aims to summarize the rationale and objectives of the CMA and the possible consequences of adopting the proposed legislation. We also identify alternative or additional measures that the government could take to overcome constraints in crop marketing.food security, food policy, Zambia, crop marketing, Marketing, Q18,

The Role of Mugaiwa in Promoting Household Food Security: Why It Matters Who Gets Access to Government Maize Imports

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of mugaiwa, and the small-scale trading and milling sector that provides it, in ensuring poor consumers’ access to food in the context of this marketing season’s maize deficit. The paper then identifies opportunities for Government and the private sector to increase access to affordable food among consumers.food security, food policy, Zambia, mugaiwa, Agribusiness, Q18,

Anticipating and Responding to Drought Emergencies in Southern Africa: Lessons from the 2002-2003 Experience

This paper examines the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency response in southern Africa through the lens of the 2002/03 food crisis in the region. The authors outline improvements in information and operational procedures needed to enhance the response to future events. They also discuss national and regional trade regime changes that would reduce the need for emergency response, and consider what lessons the 2002/03 crisis may have for the role of Strategic Grain Reserves (SGRs).food security, drought, emergency, Southern Africa, Food Security and Poverty, Q18,

Enabling Small-Scale Maize Marketing and Processing to Assure Supplies of Low-Cost Staples

Crop Production/Industries, Downloads December 2008 - July 2009: 6,

Algebraic construction of the Darboux matrix revisited

We present algebraic construction of Darboux matrices for 1+1-dimensional integrable systems of nonlinear partial differential equations with a special stress on the nonisospectral case. We discuss different approaches to the Darboux-Backlund transformation, based on different lambda-dependencies of the Darboux matrix: polynomial, sum of partial fractions, or the transfer matrix form. We derive symmetric N-soliton formulas in the general case. The matrix spectral parameter and dressing actions in loop groups are also discussed. We describe reductions to twisted loop groups, unitary reductions, the matrix Lax pair for the KdV equation and reductions of chiral models (harmonic maps) to SU(n) and to Grassmann spaces. We show that in the KdV case the nilpotent Darboux matrix generates the binary Darboux transformation. The paper is intended as a review of known results (usually presented in a novel context) but some new results are included as well, e.g., general compact formulas for N-soliton surfaces and linear and bilinear constraints on the nonisospectral Lax pair matrices which are preserved by Darboux transformations.Comment: Review paper (61 pages). To be published in the Special Issue "Nonlinearity and Geometry: Connections with Integrability" of J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. (2009), devoted to the subject of the Second Workshop on Nonlinearity and Geometry ("Darboux Days"), Bedlewo, Poland (April 2008

Staple Food Trade in the COMESA Region: The Need for a Regional Approach to Stimulate Agricultural Growth and Enhance Food Security

Poverty reduction in the COMESA region can only be achieved by bringing about agricultural sector growth. The first Millennium Development Goal, halving hunger and poverty by 2015, gave the impetus for the AU and NEPAD to launch the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), which is currently being designed and implemented in many of the COMESA member states as well as at the regional level. The CAADP framework recognizes that reduction of poverty and food insecurity requires, among other things, a favourable investment climate, national and regional market access, and supportive public policie