The Department of Policy and Planning is one of the common user departments in the Ministry. The Department is a central agency whose role is to ensure that policies and objectives of the Ministry are maintained and coordinated in an effective manner on a continous basis as well as reviewing these policies and objectives and making necesssary changes to reflect the current demands of the agricultural sector. The Department also has the mandate for overall programme planning, monitoring and evaluation, budgeting and donor co-ordination.

Mission Statement

The mission of Policy and Planning Department is to facilitate and develop mechanisms to ensure that the policies and objectives set for the agricultural sector are being achieved and to recommend changes where necessary.

Role of the Policy and Planning Department

In an economy under liberalization and especially with the diversity of players and approaches in interventions in the agricultural sector PPD has a critical role to play. It has the responsibility of providing policy advice and direction for the sector and also coordinating and harmonizing activities in the agricultural sector.
The PPD works closely with the Agricultural Consultative Forum (ACF) Secretariate in reviewing the performance of the agricultural sector and identifying critical actions required to overcome the constraints impeding the achievement of sector goals.

The PPD has the following specific objectives:

• To monitor and assess agriculture performance in relation to established strategies.
• To undertake policy studies and analyses; and provide appropriate policy advice to enable the Government understand the outcomes of various policy options and select the most appropriate.
• To provide the technical leadership necessary to enable the ministry to effectively plan, monitor and evaluate agricultural sector programmes
• To maintain an Agricultural Sector data bank to support policy analysis, performance assessment; and provide timely responses to issues raised by stakeholders.
• To co-ordinate preparation of the MAL budget.
• To contribute to the monitoring and control of Expenditure in the ministry.
  
  

Structure of PPD
PPD is headed by a Director and is divided into two branches, each headed by a Deputy Director. The branches are further divided into sections, which are headed by Chief Planners. The PPD branches and their respective sections are given below:

1.    Policy Analysis and Statistics Branch (PAS)
       •    Sectoral  Policy and Rural Sociology section
       •    Data base Management Early Warning section

2.   Programme Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Branch (PPME)
      •    Monitoring and Evaluation Section
      •    Budget Development and Coordination

Specific Objectives and Activities of PPD Sections

i.    Sectoral Policy and Rural Sociology section
     The objective of this section is to strengthen capacity in formulation and implementation of policies and strategies in response to constraints or problems   identified or anticipated during sector programmers’ implementation.

Activities of the Section include:
•    Preparation of briefs on agricultural policies.
•    Production and circulation of agricultural sector policy documents.
•    Follow up on privatization/ commercialization of agricultural enterprises.
•    Undertaking agricultural policy studies and analyses, including the Sector performance analysis.
•    Facilitating mainstreaming of gender and other cross cutting issues into agricultural activities.
•    Contributing to preparation of the Economic Reports (Agricultural Chapter)
•    Sensitization on and dissemination of agricultural policies to stakeholders.
•    Providing policy advice on socio-economic and gender aspects as they affect agriculture and program formulation.

ii.    Data base Management and Early Warning Section
       The objective of this section is to collect and analyze relevant data for the agricultural sector and to maintain a database.

Activities of the Section include:
•    Conducting Crop forecasting and Post harvest surveys.
•    Provision of early warning data and information for food security and timely planning and decision-making.
•    Undertaking Vulnerability and Food Needs Assessment.
•    Producing agricultural statistic bulletins and maintaining the agricultural database.

iii.    Monitoring and Evaluation Section
The objective of this Section is to undertake and co-ordinate the monitoring and evaluation of programmes in the agricultural sector.

The activities of the section include:
•    Co-ordinating activities among sub programmes within MAL and with other stakeholders in the sector.
•    Facilitating co-ordination with and among donors in the agricultural sector.
•    Undertaking program planning and designing.
•    Monitoring and Evaluating of the sector programmes
•    Coordinating the Management Information System ( MIS) for all the sub programs under MAL.

iv.    Budget Development and Co-ordination Section
The objective of this section is to coordinate budget preparation for MAL as a whole as well as to finalise and consolidate sub-program budgets.

Activities performed by the section include:

•    Coordinating the preparation of Ministry and Departmental annual work plans and budgets.
•    Consolidating the annual work plans and budgets for the Ministry.
•    Conducting analysis of investment trends in agriculture for rational distribution of resources.
•    Conducting periodic analysis on the sources and uses of investment funds in MAL.
•    Co-ordinating with donors and other stakeholders in the sector providing investment resources.
•    Liaising with the Financial Management Unit in the effective monitoring of financial resources.

For Further details Contact:

The Director
Policy and Planning Department
Mulungushi House
P.O. Box 50197
LUSAKA

Telefax: +260211253520

See Early Warning information below

• 2010-11 food balance sheet
  
• 11 year crop production data
  
• Agriculture Statistical Bulletin_2011