This is an emergency market assessment of the maize grain and mixed beans markets in Zambia in districts affected by poor seasonal rains as a result of the El Nino weather system in 2015/16. The report finds that the market system has not been severely disrupted by the recent poor agricultural seasons. National production figures for cereals in particular were better than expected, and the main issue is poor market demand as households in drought affected areas have minimal financial and other resources to meet their own food needs through the market. The report examines a range of intervention options and suggests that cash transfers would be the most appropriate way to address the household resource deficit, with complementary support to market actors at the retail level in order to enable them to meet any increase in demand.
