Staple Food Consumption Patterns in Urban Zambia: Results from the 2007/2008 Urban Consumption Survey

After two decades of de-urbanization, Zambia is again becoming increasingly urban. While the urban share of the population fell to 35% in 2000 due primarily to the decline of the copper industry, over half of Zambia’s people will be residing in urban areas by 2040. Given this urbanization trajectory, to be effective, policies to promote smallholder agriculture and improved urban food marketing system performance in Zambia will need to take into consideration the demand patterns of urban food consumers. Urban consumption patterns will increasingly determine the opportunities available to small-scale farmers. Accurate information on urban consumer preferences can also help identify key leverage points and investment priorities to improve the performance of the food marketing system.