Smallholder farmers in Zambia have poor access to both a supply of agricultural inputs and the knowledge necessary to use those inputs effectively. Input firms believe that it is too costly and risky to concentrate on supplying smallholder farmers scattered over vast rural areas. Agricultural extension service is limited and input firm employees stationed in the town shops are of little help to those in distant villages. Therefore, it is no surprise that smallholder farmers have had consistently low yields in Zambia. The USAID-funded PROFIT project is taking a market facilitation approach to overcome these challenges.

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