Institutional Selection and Access to Agricultural Input Subsidies: Evidence From a Cooperative-Based Delivery System in Rural Zambia

Agricultural input subsidy programmes remain central to rural development policy across Sub-Saharan Africa. In Zambia, the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) is delivered through primary agricultural cooperatives, making membership a prerequisite for participation. This study examines cooperative membership and subsidy participation as two related but distinct institutional decisions found within a cooperative-based delivery system. Using survey data from 436 smallholder farmers in Mungwi District, binary probit models estimate the socioeconomic, institutional, and geographic correlates of membership and FISP participation. Results show that education, farm size, extension contact, training exposure, and proximity to cooperative offices significantly shape entry at both stages. Extension contact is the strongest predictor of subsidy participation, while geographic distance reduces access throughout the delivery chain. These findings demonstrate that access to subsidized inputs reflects cumulative positioning within organizational and informational networks rather than uniform eligibility. Recognizing how these institutional filters operate has practical implications for policy design, particularly for efforts aimed at strengthening both programme performance and equitable access.