The global population is projected to increase to nine billion by 2050, and rising demand for food to feed
a rapidly growing population is promoting both land conversion for agricultural expansion and
unsustainable agricultural intensification, reducing the resilience of rural households dependent on
agriculture and the landscapes that support their livelihoods. The UN World Population Prospects
estimates the current population in Africa at 925 million (United Nations, 2012). Africa has the highest
population growth rates in the world, and the continent’s population is projected to double to 1.8 billion
in the next four decades (Cleland, 2013). Human population in Africa has more than tripled in the
second half of the twentieth century, from 230 million in 1950 to 811 million in 2010 (FAO, 2011; World
Bank, 2013). Population growth is expected to remain high on the continent, with a projected increase
of another half billion people by 2030, and eventually reaching more than 2 billion people by 2050. The
population of Zambia is projected to more than double in the next generation, rising from 16.2 million in
2015 to 44 million in 2050. Population growth, along with rising incomes, will have significant
implications for agriculture, energy, and food demand.