Enock Siankwilimba

Aquaculture is increasingly important to food security, nutrition, livelihoods and economic development in Zambia, yet sectoral growth depends on more than production capacity. This scoping review synthesised evidence on Zambia's aquaculture market systems, focusing on value chains, supply chains and persistent evidence gaps. Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar were searched alongside relevant grey literature for records published between 2000 and 2026. Of 652 records retrieved, 563 remained after removal of duplicates and clearly ineligible records, 152 full texts were assessed, and 107 sources were charted through the formal review process; 14 supplementary sources identified during manuscript revision were subsequently incorporated, giving 121 sources in the final synthesis. Evidence was synthesised across six value‐chain stages and four sustainability dimensions. The sector is increasingly dualistic, with rapid production growth alongside persistent structural constraints. Reported production increased from 21,567 t in 2017 to 52,922 t in 2022, whereas the share attributed to establishments captured in Zambia Statistics Agency surveys increased from 74% to 79%; Southern Province accounted for 73% of production in 2022. Administrative and survey estimates for the same year differed by 43%. Feed costs and weak cold‐chain infrastructure recurred across the value chain, alongside reported post‐harvest losses of 20%–30% and formal credit access of 12%–16%. Evidence on smallholder aquaculture was mixed: Some studies characterised it as unsustainable as a primary livelihood activity, whereas farm‐level analyses indicated that individual ponds could be financially viable, suggesting constraints beyond production itself. Major evidence gaps remain in cold‐chain and aggregation economics, gender‐disaggregated analysis, environmental performance, policy evaluation and household production dynamics. Future development requires stronger market‐system integration alongside production growth and targeted empirical and policy research.

Aquaculture insurance is a viable tool for addressing risks associated with the aquaculture sector. This study investigates the institutional risks, barriers and opportunities related to aquaculture insurance in Zambia, guided by Institutional Theory, Market Failure Theory and Risk and Uncertainty Theory. Data were collected from 51 purposively selected insurance companies and banks using a semi‐structured questionnaire designed to capture institutional, market and risk‐related variables. The findings indicate that the aquaculture insurance market is still underdeveloped, with only 16% of surveyed institutions currently offering aquaculture insurance products. Among the eight institutions offering aquaculture insurance, pond location was the most frequently considered criterion (87.5%), while production cost, number and size of ponds, species and culture system were each considered by 62.5% of providers. Major challenges include difficulty in assessing aquaculture risks (84.3%), while notable opportunities lie in collaboration with other companies (100%), increased government support (88.2%) and improved extension services on aquaculture insurance (88.2%). There was no statistically significant association between years in operation and provision of aquaculture insurance (Fisher's exact test, p = 0.2678), while institutions offering aquaculture insurance were significantly more familiar with the aquaculture industry than those not offering such products (Mann–Whitney U test, W = 7.5, p = 0.007). The study concludes that aquaculture insurance provision in Zambia is currently low but viable. From an institutional perspective, the findings highlight how regulatory structures, market inefficiencies and risk uncertainty shape insurance provision in the sector. We recommend developing aquaculture‐tailored insurance products and improving risk assessment mechanisms through enhanced technical capacity building and stakeholder collaboration to foster a resilient and inclusive aquaculture insurance market. Further research is needed to examine the determinants and profitability of aquaculture insurance among fish farmers.

This study examines the performance of six dairy co-operatives in Namwala District, Zambia, over a decade (2014–2023) using a convergent mixed-methods design. Quantitative analysis employed descriptive statistics and OLS regression on a balanced panel of 40 co-operative-year observations, while qualitative insights were derived from five focus group discussions with 75 participants (25 female, 50 male). Membership grew from 412 to 2,000 (CAGR 19.2%), yet milk production exhibited marked volatility, ranging from 389,000 to 1,910,000 litres annually. Regression analysis reveals a significant negative relationship between membership and per-farmer productivity (β = −3.48, p < 0.001), indicating a dilution effect whereby membership expansion outpaces productive capacity. Milk price positively predicted total production (β = 14.48, p = 0.035), while the revenue model (adjusted R² = 0.941) confirms that production volume and price, not membership size, drive co-operative income. Focus group discussions identified drought, feed scarcity, governance instability, and inadequate veterinary services as principal constraints, while also documenting the emergence of informal milk trading networks as adaptive institutional responses. The study concludes that membership-driven scaling without parallel investment in productive capacity undermines individual farmer returns, and recommends productivity-first growth strategies, governance strengthening, climate-resilient infrastructure, and quality-based pricing to sustain co-operative performance.

Peri-urban agriculture (PUA) provides vital ecosystem services to urban regions—from local food security and flood mitigation to biodiversity conservation and recreation—yet it is increasingly strained by urbanization pressures. This review synthesizes recent research on PUA’s multifaceted role as a regional ecosystem service and examines how rapid urban expansion is reshaping peri-urban landscapes. The synthesis highlights recurring patterns of agricultural land fragmentation, ecosystem service degradation, and socio-economic transformation in peri-urban zones under urban expansion, with notable contrasts between developed and developing regions. The review further identifies conditions under which PUA systems demonstrate resilience or decline, showing that the loss of peri-urban farmland can exacerbate urban vulnerabilities such as disaster risk and food insecurity. Persistent urban–rural governance gaps and spatial planning challenges emerge as central constraints, as peri-urban areas frequently fall between rural and urban jurisdictions, resulting in fragmented policies and institutional blind spots. Drawing on comparative evidence from multiple regional contexts, the review concludes with policy-relevant insights for strengthening peri-urban governance, safeguarding agricultural land, and enhancing the contribution of peri-urban agriculture to sustainable urban and regional development.

This study examines how Batik Ciprat functions as a vehicle for inclusive creative tourism in Karangpatihan Village, Indonesia, whereby individuals with intellectual disabilities contribute to a socially impactful rural tourism model. Grounded in social capital theory, we analyse how trust, social networks, and inclusive norms enable empowerment and help establish a distinctive, inclusion-oriented tourism identity. Using a qualitatively led mixed-methods (sequential exploratory) design with partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), we identify key pathways through which art-based entrepreneurship supports village branding and visitor engagement. Our findings indicate that when social innovation is embedded in cultural tourism, it catalyses local pride, participation, and quality of life gains. The study contributes to debates on inclusive/accessible tourism, demonstrating that creative industries can act as engines of equitable, community-based development in rural settings.