Kinship Trust and Its Influence on Agricultural Asset Management in Rural Zambia: A Qualitative Study

This study explored the influence of kinship trust on agricultural asset management in rural Zambia, focusing on the experiences of urban-based agricultural asset owners who delegate management responsibilities to rural-based relatives. Grounded in Social Capital Theory and Institutional Theory, the study employed a qualitative exploratory design supplemented by a structured Google Forms survey administered in March 2026. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and the survey (n = 16), and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Five major themes emerged: kinship trust as the basis for asset delegation; widespread experiences of asset mismanagement (reported by 93.75% of asset-owning participants); monitoring challenges arising from geographic distance; declining trust and its consequences for agricultural investment; and entitlement dynamics whereby entrusted relatives assume ownership over delegated assets. The findings reveal that while kinship networks remain the primary mechanism for managing agricultural resources across distance, the informal governance structures underpinning these arrangements are increasingly inadequate. The erosion of trust following mismanagement experiences leads to reduced agricultural investment, with significant implications for rural productivity and food security. The study proposes a multi-pronged response comprising written family agricultural agreements, improved monitoring mechanisms, incentive-aligned benefit-sharing arrangements, enhanced extension service support, and strengthened roles for traditional governance structures. These findings contribute to the literature on social capital, informal institutions, and agricultural development in Sub-Saharan Africa by providing empirical evidence of how trust dynamics within kinship networks shape agricultural investment decisions in Zambia.

kinship trust; agricultural asset management; social capital; informal institutions; rural–urban migration; Zambia; asset delegation; mismanagement; food security

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