Zambia

Despite extensive research into rural development in sub-Saharan Africa, little is known about structural transformation1 in rural areas on the continent. Zambia was chosen as one of three case study countries2 in order to identify and to analyse rural transformation processes and their main influencing forces aiming at defining strategies and measures to influence such processes towards social inclusiveness and environmental sustainability until 2030.
Zambia shows a persisting copper-dependent mono-structure with selective transformation processes
towards commercial agricultural production in specific regions. It thus follows a very different trajectory than historical transformation processes in Europe or East Asia – it is neither characterized by increasing agricultural productivity and depopulation of rural areas, nor by an increasing share of industry for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or employment, and neither by declining birth rates.