Integrated Land Reform and Rural Development Support Programme (Zambia)

Deadline: 30-Sep-2026

The Integrated Land Reform and Rural Development Support Programme has launched applications to support South African rural households, farmers, cooperatives and land reform beneficiaries in strengthening food security, developing rural enterprises and improving agricultural value chains. The programme provides support for agricultural production, rural enterprise development, agricultural infrastructure, mechanisation, irrigation, agro-processing, market access, commercialisation and strategic partnerships. It also aims to revitalise catalytic land reform projects and create direct economic opportunities for rural communities and land reform beneficiaries. Support is delivered through a combination of direct departmental assistance, development finance and strategic partnerships.

About the Integrated Land Reform and Rural Development Support Programme

The programme is designed to strengthen rural economies by supporting agricultural production and helping rural producers move toward more sustainable and commercially viable operations. It focuses on improving access to productive resources, strengthening agricultural value chains and supporting enterprises that can generate income, employment and other direct economic benefits for beneficiaries. The programme also supports the revitalisation of catalytic land reform projects where targeted investment can contribute to agricultural development, value addition and rural economic growth. What Is the Purpose of the Programme? The programme aims to address several interconnected rural development priorities.

Its objectives include:

- Enhancing food security. - Promoting rural enterprise development. - Strengthening agricultural value chains. - Supporting agricultural production and productivity. - Revitalising catalytic land reform projects. - Expanding production and commercial opportunities. - Promoting value addition. - Supporting employment creation. - Improving market access for rural producers. - Strengthening agro-processing and agricultural enterprises. The programme combines different forms of support to address both immediate production needs and longer-term enterprise development. What Types of Support Are Available? Support is available for a broad range of agricultural and rural development interventions.

Eligible interventions may include:

- Agricultural production inputs. - Livestock support. - Household food production initiatives. - Basic farming infrastructure. - Technical and extension support. - Production expansion. - Agricultural mechanisation. - Irrigation infrastructure. - Packhouses. - Processing facilities. - Storage facilities. - Market access support. - Value addition support. - Infrastructure rehabilitation. - Agro-processing investments. - Commercialisation support. - Business turnaround support. - Strategic partnerships. - Value-chain development. - Alternative energy solutions. Applicants should ensure that their proposed intervention is clearly connected to the programme’s food security, rural enterprise or agricultural value-chain objectives. Support for Agricultural Production The programme can support agricultural producers with interventions that improve production capacity. This may include production inputs, livestock support, farming infrastructure, technical assistance and extension services. Support can help rural households and producers strengthen their productive capacity and improve their ability to participate in agricultural markets. Household Food Production Household food production initiatives are also among the supported interventions. These activities can contribute to food security by helping rural households produce food for household consumption while potentially creating opportunities for increased production and participation in local agricultural value chains. Agricultural Infrastructure and Mechanisation The programme supports basic farming infrastructure as well as larger infrastructure investments where appropriate.

Possible interventions include:

- Irrigation infrastructure. - Agricultural mechanisation. - Infrastructure rehabilitation. - Packhouses. - Processing facilities. - Storage facilities. - Alternative energy solutions. These investments can help address infrastructure constraints that limit agricultural production, post-harvest management, processing and market participation. Agro-Processing and Value Addition Value addition is an important element of the programme. Support can be directed toward processing, storage, packhouses and agro-processing investments that enable producers and rural enterprises to capture greater value from agricultural products. By strengthening processing and other downstream activities, projects can contribute to agricultural value-chain development, employment creation and rural enterprise growth. Market Access and Commercialisation The programme also supports initiatives that help producers access markets and move toward commercialisation. Market access and value-addition support can help rural producers strengthen their position within agricultural value chains. Commercialisation support may also be available for qualifying enterprises that have viable business models and demonstrate clear economic benefits for land reform beneficiaries or other qualifying participants. Support for Catalytic Land Reform Projects The programme aims to revitalise catalytic land reform projects through targeted interventions that can strengthen production, infrastructure, commercialisation and value-chain participation. Qualifying projects should demonstrate how proposed support will contribute to sustainable economic activity and generate direct benefits for the relevant land reform beneficiaries. Who Can Apply? The programme is open to a range of South African rural and agricultural beneficiaries.

Eligible applicants include:

- Rural households. - Subsistence farmers. - Communal producers. - Land reform beneficiaries. - Smallholder farme