Political Economy and Agricultural Development: Insights from a Zambian Case Study on Climate Impact and Food Security
Background
Political choices have long shaped agricultural resource allocation through subsidies, price supports, and public investment, often prioritising politically strategic crops over those that are agronomically or nutritionally optimal [1]. These policies influence production incentives, market availability, and food prices [2]. Agriculture is a cornerstone of Zambia’s economy, contributing around 19% of GDP and employing over 70% of the workforce. While maize is central to national food security and cultural dietary preferences, many regions are better suited to drought-tolerant crops such as sorghum, millet, and cassava. However, continued political support for maize and wheat envisages in the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) [3] a growth of respectively +207% and +5306% by 2050 with respect to 2023 production. This emphasis might discourage crop diversification, increase vulnerability to climate change, and reinforce consumer dependence on maize and wheat-based diets despite the potential benefits of more resilient alternatives. After conducting a literature review on how current institutions, interests and incentives make particular crop priorities persist, the thesis will conduct a model-based comparison of current policy orientation, stated plans and crop-diversification scenarios to investigate their impact on environmental sustainability and food security in Zambia.
Objectives and tasks
The candidate will test and explore the Global Land, Agriculture, Diet and Emissions (GLADE) [4] , a global food systems optimisation model for the case study of Zambia. (More information about the model can be found here ). Based on the literature review, complemented by interviews to national stakeholders, the candidate will develop and compare model-based scenarios, using the findings to inform modelling assumptions and constraints.
Key tasks of the thesis are:
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Conduct a guided literature review;
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Understand how GLADE works and how it can address the scope of the study;
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Formulate research questions in line with the core scope of the thesis;
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Develop relevant scenarios based on key literature review and stakeholder engagement outcomes;
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Apply GLADE to Zambia and conduct a model-based scenario comparison.
Finally, based on the candidate’s availability, we would like to publish the results in a journal publication.
Other information
Number of students: 1-2.
Start date: Flexible, but priority will be given to earlier starts.
Duration: 5-6 months.
The project welcomes students from energy systems, sustainable development, or related fields. A strong interest in energy access, political economy, environment and food systems is expected. Familiarity with Python, GIS, or data analysis is advantageous but not mandatory. A balanced approach combining qualitative and quantitative analysis will be encouraged.
Division/Department
Division of Energy Systems – Department of Energy Technology
How to apply
Send an email expressing your interest in the topic to Camilla Lo Giudice (camlg@kth.se). Please apply by sending your CV and transcript of records.
Supervisor
Examiner
References
[1] J. Swinnen, The Political Economy of Agricultural and Food Policies. New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, 2018. doi: 10.1057/978-1-137-50102-8.
[2] K. Anderson, G. Rausser, and J. Swinnen, ‘Political Economy of Public Policies: Insights from Distortions to Agricultural and Food Markets’, J. Econ. Lit., vol. 51, no. 2, pp. 423–477, Jun. 2013, doi: 10.1257/jel.51.2.423.
[3] Ministry of Energy, ‘Integrated Resource Plan for the power sector in Zambia’, 2021.
[4] K. van Greevenbroek, S. J. Davis, and K. Caldeira, ‘Reducing health and climate impacts of the global food system’, 2026, arXiv preprint arXiv:2606.15471. doi: 10.48550/ARXIV.2606.15471.