IMPACT OF LEGUME TECHNOLOGIES ON FOOD SECURITY: EVIDENCE FROM ZAMBIA

Despite the many potential benefits of legume cultivation, there is scarce empirical evidence on whether and how producing legumes affects smallholder farm households’ food security. We use nationally representative household panel survey data from Zambia to estimate the differential effects on cereal-growing households of incorporating legumes into their farms via cereal-legume intercropping, cereal-legume rotation, and other means. Results suggest that cereal-legume rotation is positively and significantly associated with households’ months of adequate food provisions, and calorie and protein production. In contrast, cereal-legume intercropping generally has no statistically significant effect on the indicators of food security of Zambian smallholders.