Enhancing Sustainable Livelihoods Through Matching Grants: Multidimensional Evidence from Chipili, Zambia

The smallholder farmers in Zambia have been constant victims of the lack of financial resources, technical expertise, and sustainable agricultural extension, which restricts their livelihood prospects and sustainability. This paper gives an analysis of the role of cooperative-level matching grants in promoting multidimensional livelihood capitals among smallholder farmers in Chipili District: human, social, financial, and natural. The survey data were obtained with 352 respondents (240 grant beneficiaries and 112 non-beneficiaries), and the results were analysed in terms of socioeconomic factors with such variables as age, education, farm size, household size, gender, and farm experience. Analyses of reliability established high internal consistency of all livelihood-capital indices (Cronbachs 0.67 or more). Descriptive statistics and independent-samples t-tests showed consistently greater scores among the grant beneficiaries in all dimensions of the capital, and medium-to-large effect sizes in human, financial, and natural capital. Adjusted ordinary least squares regressions, controlling for individual characteristics and clustering at the cooperative level, showed that grant participation remained significantly associated with increased livelihood-capital scores (p < 0.001). These findings indicate that matching grants that incorporate trainings provided to cooperatives may assist farmers to learn better farming skills and practices, and better management of their resources. Policy makers and development agencies ought to think of extending these matching grants and incorporate follow up support to enable small holder farmers to advance their capacities and enhance sustainable rural livelihoods.