Published in PLOS One on 2026-08-28, this study is presented as an attributed evidence briefing. The excerpts below are the original researchers’ words, reproduced under their Creative Commons Attribution licence. Health Signal has selected the abstract and, where needed, opening background paragraphs; the complete methods, results, limitations and references remain in the linked paper.
Original authors: Obed Chanda
Source: PLOS One • DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0356479
Read the complete primary study ↗ · Creative Commons Attribution licence
From the researchers
Abstract
Since 2002, the Farm Block Development Program was one of the flagship initiatives within Zambia’s agricultural policy. This program was designed to promote commercialization of rural agricultural lands, to contribute to national food security, economic growth, and improved rural livelihoods. However, host community concerns remained untold. This paper aimed at shedding light on those concerns, and the factors associated with household incomes. A qualitative evaluation of submissions from Luena Farm Block residents in Kawambwa district in Zambia, showed that reticent project reception; fears of displacement, job scarcity, environmental damage, and cultural erosion were major issues for the local community. Further, a quantitative evaluation of data from 5286 respondents, using Tobit models established that 95% of household incomes were below Zambia’s official minimum wage, and the rural average income. Censored Least Absolute Deviation regression revealed that the household income factors were education, household size, cultivated area, and land tenure security. Environment-level income factors were health facility presence, and water access. The conclusion urged a cautious approach to achieve sustainable farm block development. Policy recommendations were that community needs and interests should be mainstreamed in the Farm Block Development Program. Education and health facilities should be promoted to enhance literacy and productivity. Mechanization should be promoted to expand crop areas and production efficiency. Land tenure security should be facilitated to protect fixed investments. Safe water access should be promoted to support irrigation and public health.
1. Introduction
The persistence of extreme poverty and hunger in the 21st century, was a drawback to the achievement of global sustainable development. However, the severity of this specter varied across different regions of the world. The 2024 Global Hunger Index had shown that significant progress was made in reducing hunger in Asia and South America, while the situation remained stagnant in Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA). Swargiary [1] and Wudil et al. [2] attributed the lack of progress in SSA to conflict, low productivity, climate change, and weak economic infrastructure to support industry and intra-regional trade. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) number 1 and 2 represented a global vision to end poverty and hunger respectively. However, practical measures and actions through several global agencies had proved insufficient for ending poverty, and its offshoots like hunger in SSA.
Efforts to combat this scourge within the SSA region lacked financial backing for the enforcement of local strategies [3]. For instance, the African Union’s Maputo and Malabo declarations under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program had its member countries agree to allocate at least 10% of their public expenditure budgets to agricultural production [4]. However, such a measure was not likely to materialize in some SSA countries like Zambia, without leaving other sectors worse off. Still, respective countries needed to “think global while acting local”, in their efforts to domesticate global and regional commitments to end poverty and hunger. Zambia’s Farm Block Development Program (FBDP) was designed as a response to this kind of challenge. This paper sought to analyze an aspect of this program in Zambia that exposes host community views and needs.
Reading this evidence
Use the full paper to check the study design, participant selection, comparator and outcome definitions before drawing a practical conclusion. An association does not by itself show cause and effect. A reported performance measure needs its denominator and uncertainty. A finding from a particular facility, sample or time period should retain that scope when it is discussed elsewhere.
This briefing makes the source accessible within the wider hospital systems desk. It does not assess an individual patient or certify a product. When considering relevance to another health system, examine the original authors’ account of context and limitations, then seek local implementation evidence. The related reporting below provides other studies to read alongside this one; it is a topic connection, rather than a claim that their results are directly comparable.
© 2026 Obed Chanda. Excerpts reproduced under CC BY. Selection, formatting and contextual notes by Health Signal. The researchers are the authors of the source study, not members of Health Signal’s staff.
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