An Integrated Approach to Rural Planning and Development in Zambia

Mweembe Muleya MUDENDA – Zambia

Key words: Spatial planning, Rural settlement, Poverty reduction, Land Use planning,
Socio-economic planning, Millennium Development Goals

SUMMARY

Most of the policies aimed at planning human settlements in Zambia have focused on urban
areas. This creates an imbalance of development in the country. While much attention has
been given to the development of urban areas, it is a truism that majority of Zambia’s
population live in rural areas and face the challenges of food insecurity, inadequate housing,
lack of infrastructure and environmental degradation.

In Africa, the habitat problem in rural areas is largely a problem of general development.
Given this scenario, there is need to evolve rural planning and development approaches that
will reinforce rural economies and improve the quality of life.

This paper focuses on rural areas with specific interest to addressing physical and socio-
economic issues as catalysts to rural regeneration. Without meeting the needs of the rural
community, urban development shall continue to be painted with informal settlements and
slums.

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Mweembe Muleya Mudenda
An integrated approach to rural planning and development in Zambia

Shaping the Change

XXIII FIG Congress
Munich, Germany, October 8-13, 2006
 An Integrated Approach to Rural Planning and Development in Zambia
Mweembe Muleya MUDENDA - Zambia

1. INTRODUCTION

Despite the global challenge and clarion calls of tenure conversion in Africa, Zambia
continues to have a dualistic tenure with 90% dominance in customary land (GRZ, 1996).
Given the above scenario, it can be seen that although Zambia is one of the most urbanized
countries in Africa, in fact second from South Africa, the picture on the ground is that 90% of
the land in Zambia is rural land.

The debate on land tenure has brought to the fore the question of physical and socio-
economic development in rural areas as majority of the rural areas fall under customary land.
Closely tied to this debate are the issues of planning and the role it plays in ensuring poverty
eradication and sustainable rural development.

Poverty is most prevalent in rural areas where infrastructure is either inadequate or

unavailable. The poor make up around 70% of Zambia's total population and 80% of its rural
population (Diangamo, 2001). The result of untold poverty levels in rural areas has been the
migration of rural dwellers to urban areas with the hope of employment and generally a better
life. This has created multiple effects. Muchima (2006) argues that the mushrooming of
informal settlements in major towns of Zambia is as a result of not only a failed housing
policy but also the migration of people from rural areas into the city. When these people
cannot afford decent shelter, they create shelter for themselves with their own initiatives and
within their own resources.

Poor quality housing, lack of or inadequate health facilities, few schools, poor road and
transport networks, poor functioning markets characterize Zambia’s rural areas. Considering
that setting up of such necessary infrastructure needs financial, physical as well and human
resources in the man’s quest for socio-economic development and better quality of life,
conditions obtaining in Zambia, especially rural areas, for sustainable development are to a
large extent lacking (Mukalula, 2004). Tetteh (1976) states that the current state of settlement
problems in developing countries includes:

− Rapid Population growth

− Rapid urbanization
− The essentially rural nature of the African habitat in spite of rapid urbanization
− The subordinate and superodinate political and economic relations established during
long periods of colonial rule which will still continue to a very large extent in the
economic sphere.

The rural nature of many communities amidst rapid urbanization indeed presents a challenge
to the development of rural settlements. Zambia is among the most urbanized countries in
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Mweembe Muleya Mudenda
An integrated approach to rural planning and development in Zambia

Shaping the Change

XXIII FIG Congress
Munich, Germany, October 8-13, 2006
Africa and yet her rural areas are the most backward and underprivileged (Njungu, 1998).
What are the underlying reasons for such a paradox?

2. BACKGROUND TO RURAL PLANNING IN ZAMBIA

Planning of human settlements in developing countries frequently reflects ideas and practices
inherited from the colonial masters before independence (Tetteh, 1976). The shape of
Zambia’s urban and rural areas is a mirror of the effects of colonial practices in the country.
The segregation of white settlers from the black communities and the selection of the best
lands (fertile land and mineral areas) meant that any significant development was to occur in
the crown land alone (GRZ, 1995). Crown lands were the areas designated for white settlers
only. The rest of the land was left for the black communities as reserve land and customary
land. As such the so-called urbanization in Zambia is a narrow stretch cutting across the
country.

Figure 1: Land tenure distribution

Source: Adams (2003)

When the country attained its independence in 1964, the crown lands were converted to state
land and the rest of the land remained under the under the authority of the chiefs or traditional
rulers.

The state had the role of planning for both physical and economic development in urban and
rural areas. Immediately after independence in 1964, a Transitional National Development
Plan (TNDP) was prepared in 1965 to ensure successful transition from the colonial
government. This plan was succeeded by the First National Development Plan (FNDP) 1966
–1970, which basically aimed at:

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Mweembe Muleya Mudenda
An integrated approach to rural planning and development in Zambia

Shaping the Change

XXIII FIG Congress
Munich, Germany, October 8-13, 2006
− Diversification of the economy from predominantly mining to agriculture and other
sectors
− Employment creation
− Increasing the level of education
− Provision of social welfare and
− Developing of new energy sources

The Second National Development Plan (SNDP) 1970- 1974 was merely to enforce the First
National Development Plan. However, it incorporated such aims as;
− Attaining self sufficiency
− Expanding and diversifying industry and
− Initiating comprehensive measures for regional development.

The weakness of these National plans was that they mainly focused on overall national
development without strategies for facilitating actual development on the ground. In the
circumstance,areas falling under customary laws were left out, leaving the traditional rulers to
plan for their areas. Indeed, after a full 42 years of independence, there is still a general
imbalance in development between rural areas and urban areas.

figure 2: disparities in spatial development

Urban area Rural area

3. THE TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT CAP 283

This Act was enacted to guide planning in the country. It is the only piece of legislation that
guides spatial planning in Zambia. However, the planning process under the Act is restricted
to land use planning of areas in State land only. The law stipulates that it is:
An act to make provision […] for the preparation and approval and revocation of
Development plans, for the control of development and subdivision of land or [….]
modification of regional plans; and for matters connected with and incidental to the
foregoing (Republic of Zambia, 1995)

Part vii(4) of the Act allows for regional planning i.e. including socio-economic planning for
regions. While this is so, weak institutional capacities and lack of funds has crippled the
fulfillment of the Act.
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Mweembe Muleya Mudenda
An integrated approach to rural planning and development in Zambia

Shaping the Change

XXIII FIG Congress
Munich, Germany, October 8-13, 2006
The problems being faced by some rural settlements in Zambia are eminently the same
problems being faced by slum dwellers or squatters in urban areas except the extent of the
challenges may vary.

UN-HABITAT has developed a household level definition of a slum household in order to be

able to use existing household level surveys and censuses to identify slum dwellers among
the urban population. A slum household is a household that lacks any one of the following
five elements:
• Access to improved water (access to sufficient amount of water for family use, at an
affordable price, available to household members without being subject to extreme effort);
Women and children walk long distances to fetch water from water holes commonly known
as ifishima in Bemba language. These water holes are believed to be the safest places to get
clean water .

Figure 4: Water hole

These holes are made on areas near the river and are left uncovered. Figure 4 shows how the
villagers use initiative to provide safe water for themselves. Ifishima are strictly for drinking
water and the river is for washing their dishes and clothes.

• Access to improved sanitation (access to an excreta disposal system, either in the

form of a private toilet or a public toilet shared with a reasonable number of people).
Rural dwellers make their own toilets in form of pit latrines while others resort to using the
bush. For them, this is sufficient because rarely do diseases like cholera break in the
settlement.
• Security of tenure (evidence of documentation to prove secure tenure status or de
facto or perceived protection from evictions)
Customary lands have a communal tenure which does not offer titles to land. With the
introducton of market based approaches to land reform in Zambia, the security if villagers is
threatened (Brown, 2002)
• Durability of housing (permanent and adequate structure in non-hazardous location)
Mukalula (1998) states that inadequate methods of construction in some rural areas reduce
the permanency of housing. Building materials include poles and mud

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Mweembe Muleya Mudenda
An integrated approach to rural planning and development in Zambia

Shaping the Change

XXIII FIG Congress
Munich, Germany, October 8-13, 2006
Figure 6: Type of buiding materials

• Sufficient living area (not more than two people sharing the same room).
The above discussion not intend to refer to rural households as slums. Rather it realizes that
some areas in rural areas face the same challenges faced in informal settlements. But perhaps
the greatest challenge in rural settlements is poverty, which is a lack in basic needs.

Apart from fitting in the habitat’s definition of a slum settlement, rural areas faces other
challenges.
1. Lack of health facilities
2. Lack of schools
3. Lack of Roads
4. Environmental Degradation

4. FOSTERING DEVELOPMENT IN RURAL AREAS

Chileshe (1987) argued that ‘for people who have been slaves or have been oppressed,
exploited and disregarded by colonialism or capitalism, development means liberalization.
Any action that gives them control of their own affairs is an action for development even if it
does not offer them better health or bread”. It can be said from this definition that the first
challenge in developing rural areas is the perception of development by the rural
communities themselves. The OECD (2001) defines rural development as improving quality
of life as well as greater social transformation.

Rural development requires investment in areas where the poor live and in the activities they
pursue.

Looking at the challenges above, there is need to take an integrated approach in the planning
of rural areas. Integrated approach means looking at all aspects of spatial growth and
addressing them as one entity. Any neglect of one area has a negative impact on the
development of the other areas. Important aspects of the planning process are:
1. Land use planning
2. Socio- economic planning

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Mweembe Muleya Mudenda
An integrated approach to rural planning and development in Zambia

Shaping the Change

XXIII FIG Congress
Munich, Germany, October 8-13, 2006
4.1 Land Use Planning in Rural Settlements

Community developed and driven land use plans are an important way to reduce land use
conflicts (OCED, 2001). Common land use in rural land includes farming, communal grazing
areas, burial sites and at times land is reserved for village development. Land use planning in
the rural areas address the demands and capacities for cropping land, grazing land, forests for
wood, charcoal, medicines; village sitting of homes and community services, ancestral and
heritage land and water resources where available (Mwanza, 1998). Siting of all these uses is
attached to customs and traditions indigenous to that particular area. Conflicting land uses are
minimal as the villagers have moral attachments to these respective land uses.

4.2 Importance of Land Information Systems in Rural Areas

The role of spatial planning is to manage environmental, social and economic change and
provide a coherent vision for improving human settlement. Healey (1997) defines planning as
shaping places, thus shaping the change in rural areas means shaping them in a manner that
will not only promote physical aesthetics but will integrate the social and economic aspects.
Cardinal to spatial planning is spatial data, which should be readily available to plan
effectively.

Since customary areas have information that is transmitted verbally from generation to
generation, a way can be found of documenting and preserving verbal registers without
resorting to conventional cadastral methods. A simplified manual register can be used to keep
all information related to land use. Residents can submit information related to their land to a
community committee. Information can be obtained through story telling, villagers’ accounts,
chiefs records and Government departments

4.3 The Place of Conventional Methods

While they may not be the basis of local

land information systems, conventional
methods have their own place in rural
areas. When combined with information
that is readily available, remote sensing
products can consolidate local land
information systems. For example once the
community has identified its boundaries
through social mapping, aerial photographs
can be used to come up with rural maps.
They can also be used to locate areas
earmarked for development. However, the
main hindrance towards their use is affordability.

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Mweembe Muleya Mudenda
An integrated approach to rural planning and development in Zambia

Shaping the Change

XXIII FIG Congress
Munich, Germany, October 8-13, 2006
4.4 Socio-economic Planning

Rural development implies both improved quality of life as well as greater social
transformation (OCED, 2001). In order to develop rural areas, there is need to realize their
potential. Rural areas are not to be seen as problems; they in fact present opportunities and
potential to contribute positively to competitiveness, growth of micro business, niche markets
and the increasing role of women entrepreneurs.

Although, agriculture continues to play an important role in rural areas, there is need to
reinforce rural economies through diversification of economic activities. Moreover, with the
introduction of market based reforms, economic pressure on rural areas is expected to
increase, adding a major burden on the rural community in doubling agriculture production,
alleviation of poverty and realizing food security.

The poverty reduction strategy paper (PRSP) is Zambia’s development planning and resource
programming tool and, as such is the overall framework for national planning and
intervention for development and poverty reduction (GRZ, 2002).

It is under the PRSP that Zambia’s Vision 2025 has been outlined with the theme “The
Zambia we want to see by 2025”. Shaping the change in customary areas will mean creating
micro linkages to fit in perfectly in this vision.

Diagram
PRSP Planning Linkages and Information System

Vision 2025

5 year MTEF IFMIS

Long term plans

Medium PRSP National medium Provincial PIP Provincial

term strategic plans strategic plan information

Operational PRSP Annual

Plans operational District plans Annual plans District
plans information

Local Level
Implementat Community based Local level
ion Plans plans information

Diagram 2: Linking rural plans into National planning

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Mweembe Muleya Mudenda
An integrated approach to rural planning and development in Zambia

Shaping the Change

XXIII FIG Congress
Munich, Germany, October 8-13, 2006
 District

Community Chief Donors and NGO’s,

plans

Information Rural Development

Committee

Village A Village B Village C

Implementation

4.5 Formulated by Author

Diagram 1 addresses the need for committees in the rural areas to be fully integrated in the
overall planning process. RDC’s decisions should form the basis of implementation of
development plans in rural areas. The top- down approach to implementation of plans should
be replaced with a bottom up approach. RDC’s should comprise village representatives or
village headmen. These RDC’s developed would guide not only rural development but its
members will also learn to determine better use of their resources. The other role of the
committee is to act as a nerve center of information.

5. CROSSCUTTING ISSUES: HIV AIDS IN RURAL SETTLEMENTS

Rural settlements face yet another challenge besides poverty. Acute poverty has been
worsened by HIV/AIDS posing another challenge in the development of rural areas. The
present double tragedy rural areas in Zambia are facing demands an urgent comprehensive
approach and multidimensional approach (Njungu, 1998).

HIV/AIDS and rural development are interlinked. The fight against poverty cannot be
isolated from the fight against the AIDS pandemic. The reduction of HIV/AIDS in rural areas
certainly accelerates rural development, as it will mean that rural communities will not be
deprived of the much-needed human resource to develop their own areas. The worst affected
by the disease are women and children. Children are left without parents and the only
alternative they are left with is to move to the urban areas where they inevitably become
street kids. Women, left with the responsibility of looking after their families go to such
extents as prostitution to earn a living. As long as the circle of poverty goes round in rural
settlements, the spread of HIV/AIDS will continue to be a part of rural livelihood.

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Mweembe Muleya Mudenda
An integrated approach to rural planning and development in Zambia

Shaping the Change

XXIII FIG Congress
Munich, Germany, October 8-13, 2006
Njungu(1998) further asserts that even the reportedly stabilization of HIV/AIDS in urban
areas may only be short lived considering migrations between the rural and urban areas.

6. ACHIEVING MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN RURAL AREAS

Achieving Millenium Development Goals in rural Zambia is not far-fetched. Basically ,

aiming to achieve Goals 1 and 8 can have multiple effects that can help to achieve the other
MDG’s. While agriculture continiues to play an important role in rural livelihood, its impact
on the environment is critical. In achieving MDG 8, the community should set out measures
to protect the environment . Sustainable agriculture practices can help the community to
produce more food which in turn increases food security. Surplus produce can be sold to
generate income for the community.

The road map

Land Use Planning Socio-economic Planning

-Equitable land - Encourage
allocation entrepreneurship
- Resource Management - Promote rural –urban
linkages
-

-Sustainable agriculture
- Employment
creation
- Food security
- Income
generation
- Infrastructure
development

MDG’S ATTAINED RURAL

DEVELOPMENT

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Mweembe Muleya Mudenda
An integrated approach to rural planning and development in Zambia

Shaping the Change

XXIII FIG Congress
Munich, Germany, October 8-13, 2006
7. CONCLUDING THOUGHTS: SHAPING THE CHANGE IN RURAL
SETTLEMENTS

Robb (2002) understood poverty reduction in three ways:

1. Increasing income and general assets to a level where the poor are less vulnerable and
falling below a certain level
2. Giving people greater control and means to determine their lives
3. The rural poor’s perception of their own poverty in a process of sharing strategies,
priorities and solutions of various stakeholders, thus incorporating the community in
poverty participatory assessment.

From these three aspects of definition, an important aspect arises; even in the midst of
poverty, rural settlements must take the challenge of development in their own areas.

With the introduction of market based reforms in Zambia, rural areas need to be equipped for
change in their areas. So far, no land audit has been carried out to determine how much of
customary land has been converted to leasehold, but the growing number of land wrangles
testifies the impact of land conversion. Without tangible information about rural areas, there
is a high risk of giving out the best land in the area leaving the community with less viable
land. Communities ought to be in control of their own resources.

Besides the effects of reform, communities need to develop their own areas to reduce the
ever-increasing poverty levels in rural areas. Rural development requires a shift from top-
down planning approaches to bottom-up approaches where the community is involved in
identification of its own problems, conceptualizing solutions to those problems, planning and
implementing development Programmes.

The question of development in Zambia can only be answered by the reaction of customary
communities to current socio-economic needs. The quest for rural regeneration is hindered by
lack of integration of rural needs into the overall planning framework as priority is often
given to urban land. With the current demand for customary land for urban expansion and
market-based activities, the challenge rests on rural areas to plan effectively for their own
areas and contribute to national need.

REFERENCES

Adams M (2003) Land tenure policy and practice in Zambia: issues relating to the
development of the Agriculture sector, Draft 2003, mokoro Ltd, oxford.
Bastiann van Loenen (1999) Land Tenure in Zambia, University of Maine.
Brown T (2003) Contestations, confusion and corruption: Market-based land reform and local
politics in Zambia.
Diangamo D. (2001) Campaign against poverty; Paper presented to Economic Association of
Zambia. Unpublished
Healey P (1997) Collaborative Planning: Shaping places in fragmented societies. Macmillan

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Mweembe Muleya Mudenda
An integrated approach to rural planning and development in Zambia

Shaping the Change

XXIII FIG Congress
Munich, Germany, October 8-13, 2006
Mukalula (2004) Poverty Alleviation through construction industry: The case of Zambia’s
rural areas. Second LACCEI Conference, Miami, Florida.
Njungu(1998) Tackling HIV/AIDS in rural Zamba from a developmental perspective; 12th
international Aids conference, Switzerland. Available on
www.aegis.com/conference/1998
Republic of Zambia (2002) Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, Lusaka: Ministry of Finance
and National Planning
Robb .C (2002) Can the poor influence policy? Participatory poverty assessment in the
developing world. World Bank Publication, Washington D.C
World Bank (1975) Rural development sector policy paper, Washington DC
World Bank (1989) Sub Saharan Africa: From Crisis to Sustainable Growth. Washington DC
World Bank (2002) Can Africa Claim the 21st Century? Washington DC
Yahya (2001)Lending a voice to oral registries-LIS as a potential tool for validating
leaseholds.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

The author is a 5th year female Land Economy student at the Copperbelt University in
Zambia.

Working Experience: Intern at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN-
Zambia country office.
Also worked at National Housing Authority (Estates Department) as Estates Officer on
attachment basis.

Achievements: Awarded best young researcher for her paper “Land tenure, Access and
Boundary Conflicts in Rural Zambia” at the Commonwealth Association for Surveyors and
Land Economists (CASLE) conference in Bagamoyo, Tanzania, 2006.
Also received a joint CASLE Lecture prize best presentation by young researcher at the same
conference

Career perspective: To ensure that rural livelihood in Zambia is improved and that
sustainable development in rural areas will become a reality.

CONTACTS

Mweembe Muleya Mudenda

Copperbelt University
P.O Box 21692,
Kitwe
ZAMBIA
Tel: + 260 95 756392
Email: [email protected]

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Mweembe Muleya Mudenda
An integrated approach to rural planning and development in Zambia

Shaping the Change

XXIII FIG Congress
Munich, Germany, October 8-13, 2006