Factors Influencing Maize Sales Among Smallholder Farmers in Zambia

Maize is both Zambia’s staple food crop and a key cash crop for smallholder farmers, yet the commercialization of maize production remains constrained by structural, economic, and institutional barriers. This study investigates the determinants of maize sales among smallholder farmers using nationally representative data from the 2015 Rural Agricultural Livelihoods Survey (RALS), covering over 8,800 agricultural households. A multiple linear regression model was employed to assess the influence of socioeconomic, farm-level, institutional, and market-related factors on maize sales. Results indicate that maize commercialization is primarily shaped by economic and production-oriented variables rather than socio-demographic characteristics. Specifically, higher maize prices, larger cultivated areas, the use of hired labor, coupled with higher transport costs significantly increase maize sales, while reliance on unreliable price information exerts a strong negative effect. Conversely, factors such as gender, age, education, and distance to market were statistically insignificant, suggesting that structural constraints affect all farmers equally. These findings highlight the need for systemic interventions that reduce transaction costs through improved infrastructure, strengthen access to timely and reliable market information, and enhance production capacity via land access, input provision, and labor support. By addressing these universal barriers, policymakers and development partners can facilitate the transition of Zambia’s smallholder farmers from subsistence to market-oriented production, thereby improving rural incomes, food security, and national agricultural commercialization.