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Zambia and China: Workers’ Protest, Civil Society and the Role of Opposition Politics in Elevating State Engagement

by Agnes Ngoma Leslie Abstract This paper examines the role of civic protest and opposition politics in changing the dynamics of the relationship between Zambia and China at the top leadership and working class levels.  It looks specifically at how the workers’ plight became elevated to the top agenda and became a major issue for the […]

The Organizational Structures for Community-Based Natural Resources Management in Southern Africa

by Bruce Campbell and Sheona Shackleton Abstract Throughout Southern Africa there has been a move to decentralize natural resource management (NRM). Decentralization has taken many forms, resulting in different organizational structures for NRM. Fourteen case studies from eight countries can be classed into four types, depending on the key organizations for NRM: (1) district-level organizations; […]

The State and Development in Southern Africa: A Comparative Analysis of Botswana and Mauritius with Angola, Malawi and Zambia

by Osei Hwedi Introduction African countries inherited economies that are backward, skewed and underdeveloped as a result of Western colonial rule. Since independence, African states have embarked on the transformation of inherited economic structures with varying degrees of success. The debate about the role of the state in development in Africa reached its peak in […]

AgroForestry Innovations in Africa: Can They Improve Soil Fertility on Women Farmers’ Fields?

by Christina H. Gladwin, Jennifer S. Peterson, and Robert Uttaro Abstract Most observers agree that the verdict is still out for agroforestry innovations known as improved fallows, which may take a decade for farmers to test properly.  First farmers plant several small plots of different tree species, cut them after two years and plant a cash […]

The Micropolitics of Mining and Development in Zambia: Insights from the Northwestern Province

by Rohit Negi Abstract After two decades of economic stagnation, Zambia witnessed sustained economic growth in the period 2002-2008 due to investments in the country’s all-important copper mining sector. This article analyzes the political forms that took shape during the copper mining boom, bringing into view the new entanglements of capital, labor, civil society, and […]

The Role of Labor Migration to Neighbouring Small Towns in Rural Livelihoods: A Case Study in Southern Province, Zambia

by Chihiro Ito Abstract Livelihood in present-day rural Africa is distinctly complex, involving interactions between the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, and between urban and rural activities. In addition to subsistence agriculture, farmers are often engaged in non-agricultural activities in both rural and urban contexts. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of non-agricultural income sources in rural […]