In talking to the head of the household you discover that he does not actually own the land himself. It is actually communal land that he occupies and works.
Land ownership is another important issue in understanding the problems of agriculture in Zambia.
Prior to colonisation land was never seen as a marketable commodity. Land ownership was communal. During colonialism due to the growth of commercial farms, improvements in agricultural techniques and rapid population growth, private land ownership evolved. Native Reserves were for set aside for Africans Soon after a third category of land, Native Trust Land, comprising of previously un-categorised land, was created and further extended property rights to Europeans settlers. These reserves and trust lands were unpopular to the Africans as they found the reserves were overcrowded and impoverished.