An Examination of Factors Contributing to the Maize-Centric Procurement Approach in Zambia: Case of The Food Research Agency

The main aim of the qualitative research was to explore the main factors contributing to the FRA’s maize-centric procurement approach. The research employed the interpretivist philosophy and the exploratory case study design. Data was gathered using key informant interviews, document analysis, and focus group interviews. The thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data. The findings revealed that the main factors include the unavailability of designated grain commodities, policy inconsistency, government/political interference, commercialization of the FRA, and limited storage capacity. The study concluded that there are numerous factors driving the maize-centric procurement approach of Zambia’s FRA. The study recommended the government of the Republic of Zambia to consider prioritizing and incentivizing production of the designated commodities. The study further recommended the government of Zambia to undertake reforms to decommercialize the FRA in order to transition from the maize-centric approach to a diversified SGR in Zambia. The study further recommended the management of the FRA to strengthen the implementation of its storage investment plan in order to improve its storage capacity, which can create an enabling environment for a diversified SGR. The study recommended further studies to be undertaken using a larger sample.