ABSTRACT
Zambia's over-reliance on mining makes it highly vulnerable to price fluctuations. The Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) recognizes that it is imperative to diversify Zambia's production base in order to address dogging poverty, especially in rural areas, and the overall stubbornly high poverty rates countrywide. This chapter presents a case study of a non-profit organization, The Netherlands Development Organization (SNV), which has worked alongside the government and other stakeholders in an attempt to diversify Zambia's production base as well as to develop much needed human capital. It also examines the collaborative multi-stakeholder approach to building capacity. SNV Zambia's multi-stakeholder processes (MSP) facilitation approach has great potential for replication as it brings together local players to exploit a local resource in a sustainable manner. MSP such as the Zambia Rice Federation have evolved from the bottom up and is currently playing catalytic roles in upgrading value chains at a national level while linking with international networks.
