CHARACTERISATION OF CURRENT AGRICULTURE ACTIVITIES IN ZAMBEZI RIVER BASIN (ZRB)(IWEGA)

The Zambezi River Basin (ZRB) is an important transboundary basin (Figure 1) that is shared by eight riparian countries: Zambia (41.9% of total area), Angola (18.2%), Namibia (1.1%), Botswana (1.5%), Zimbabwe (15.9%), Tanzania (2.2%), Malawi (7.5%), and Mozambique (11.6%) (Beck & Bernauer, 2010; Shela, 2000). At 2,574 km long and a total catchment area of 1.39 million km², the basin is Africa’s fourth largest and the largest river system in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Annual rainfall decreases southwards from the high rainfall areas in the north. It varies between a minimum of 530 mm to a maximum of 2220 mm, giving a basin wide mean of approximately 930 mm. The basin is home to a total population of between 32 and 40 million, with 80% of these living in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.