Elizabeth Maanda Sianga is managing director of an integrated agribusiness in Kafue, Zambia, producing high-value vegetables, aquaculture, grains, poultry, and small livestock with value-added processing. Holding a Master's degree from Mulungushi University where she researched smallholder farmers' information sources, Elizabeth combines three roles: farmer, agronomist, and agricultural influencer. She has earned multiple recognitions including the 2022 Stanbic Bank Anakazi Green Award, 2023 Best Agronomist at Farmers Choice Awards, and serves as Secretary of Kafue District Farmers Association and Marketing Coordinator for She Entrepreneur Zambia.
Elizabeth's Nuffield research addresses a fundamental challenge: despite being the backbone of African agricultural production, smallholder farmers capture the least value from their commodities due to weak market structures, fragmented value chains, and information asymmetries that give middlemen superior negotiating leverage. Her Master's research revealed critical gaps in how farmers access and use market information, directly impacting farmgate prices and bargaining power. Through investigating market structures across Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, and Ghana, she will explore how transparency, collective marketing, and digital market linkages can reduce information gaps and improve farmer incomes. Leveraging her platform as an agricultural influencer, she will disseminate findings through workshops, policy briefs, and social media to strengthen smallholder negotiating power and market competitiveness across African value chains.
