In rural Zambia, 83% of the people live below the poverty line. In contrast to some of the neighboring countries, Zambia is scarcely populated. Scarcity in population is mainly pronounced in the remote regions of the eastern and the western parts of the country.
Incidence of poverty in Zambia:
Poverty in Zambia is present in almost all the areas excluding the central part, which is comparatively more developed and fertile. In other parts of the country, either the soil is acidic or the climate is arid, as a result, human habitats do not thrive well in these areas.Causes of poverty in Zambia:
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Zambia is isolated geographically. Due to this, Zambia's access to markets, productive assets and technical know how is limited. The agriculture sector, which was formerly taken care of , by the government, has been neglected for long. Formerly, the government suggested measures to prevent cattle from being affected by diseases.
The government stopped providing assistance to the agriculture sector in 1990, with the liberalization of the economy. Cattle diseases with roots in the neighboring countries spilled over to Zambia causing severe destruction to livestock. Extensive damage to livestock affected the farmers because majority of the farmers make use of draught animals to plow the field.
Possible measures to minimize poverty in Zambia:
Investment in the agriculture sector is needed to bring about commercialization in this field. Financial assistance for long term projects ought to be made available to the farmers for carrying out different agricultural projects. These projects can work on improving agricultural activities in Zambia. Adopting preventive measures for livestock diseases can also be improved.Zambia's accessibility to technical know how, marketing strategies and rural finance can also be taken care of to minimize poverty to a certain extent.
