Potential for Intra-Regional Maize Trade in Southern Africa: an Analysis for Zambia at the Sub-National Level

This working paper explores the prospects for regional maize trade in helping to stabilize food availability and prices in Zambia. It reviews these general prospects within the maize economy of southern Africa. Given the important regional differences in Zambia’s food economy, it explores spatial differences in national food production, consumption and marketed surpluses. It also evaluates the impact of regional maize trade on price stability and food security in different parts of Zambia. The empirical evidence from Zambia, summarized in this paper, suggests that both consumers and farmers stand to benefit from the reduced price volatility that results from opening borders to regional trade in food staples