Stakeholder-perceived effectiveness and implementation constraints of Zambia’s electronic voucher system: a mixed-methods study in Chongwe District

Zambia’s electronic Farmer Input Support Programme (e-FISP) is intended to widen farmer choice and shift subsidised-input redemption toward private agro-dealers. This descriptive cross-sectional mixed-methods study examined stakeholder-perceived service performance and implementation constraints in purposively selected sites in Chongwe District. The planned stakeholder sample was 96 (82 small-scale farmers, 6 agro-dealers, 5 village heads, and 3 agricultural extension officers), whereas the archived quantitative summaries available for audit used n = 59 for farmer outcomes and n = 5 for dealer results. Analysis-specific denominators are therefore reported and no district-wide sampling precision is claimed. Rounded archived agreement percentages indicated favourable perceptions of timely fertiliser access (81%), reduced distribution delays (79%), certified-seed access (78%), and allocation transparency (78%). The archived n = 59 outcome summary reported only the categories ‘increased slightly’ and ‘increased significantly’: 50.8% and 49.2%, respectively, for household food security, and 83.1% and 16.9% for both income and productivity. Because respondent-level records were not available for independent reconstruction, these figures are treated as descriptive perception signals rather than verified population prevalences or causal effects. Qualitative accounts identified delayed activation, weak connectivity, identity mismatches, platform failures, stock constraints, and delayed dealer reimbursement. The study identifies implementation mechanisms and monitoring priorities, not attributable programme impacts. Future evaluation should link administrative process data with objective longitudinal agricultural and welfare outcomes.