Across Zambia, cotton is a key source of income for more than 300,000 smallholder farmers, ensuring money for school fees, food, fertiliser and other household necessities.
The cotton sector is facing a number of challenges. It is under threat due to cotton being at its lowest production in decades, and farmers and companies trading with each other illegally outside of formal contracts (side-trading).
With the sector at a crossroads, the Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI) and IIED embarked on research to understand the drivers behind side-trading and explore possible solutions with key stakeholders. While the research is being finalised, this photo story gives some key impressions.
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