For the new government to achieve a better level of success, which will be evidenced among other things by the nation’s ability to feed its people, there is definite need to now take the revival of the agriculture sector more seriously.
Environment with Chipo Musara
It is no secret that the much-hyped-about land reform programme that was executed in 2000 has — 13 years down the line — not brought the results that the country would have otherwise hoped for.
Today, Zimbabwe is known for being, among other things, that country that went from being the breadbasket of the whole southern African region, to being a mere basket case. The country is now a laughing stock.
Evidence of how far the agriculture sector has fallen is in how Zimbabwe today depends on maize from Zambia to bring relief to its starving populace. Zambia’s agriculture was once at such a low level it depended on Zimbabwe for food aid.
While the tough economic period the country has gone through from the time the land reform was implemented, clearly did a lot to derail the road to success, it has definitely not been the only impediment.
Going around the farms and observing progress made more than a decade since people were allocated land, it is clear we have people that have been given land they clearly have no clue what to do with. Some of the so-called farmers, some of whom own vast amounts of land, are clueless as to what farming is all about.
These are the people that have been aiding deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution and when they do make lame attempts at farming, they employ appalling farming practices that fail to yield anything significant, save for destroying the land.
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However, it would be highly unfair to portray the picture as being all gloom and doom in Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector. The truth is: there are real black commercial farmers in the country, people that seized the opportunity to show their passion for farming, in the process showing us all that hope is not lost for the sector.
A book entitled Zimbabwe Takes Back its Land, co-authored by Jeanette Mangengwa, Teresa Smart and Joe Hanlon, makes some telling points.
They wrote: “In the biggest land reform in Africa, 6 000 white farmers have been replaced by 245 000 Zimbabwean farmers. Zimbabwe’s land reform has not been neat, and huge problems remain. But 245 000 new farmers have received land, and most of them are farming it.
“They have raised their own standard of living; have already reached production levels of the former white farmers; and with a bit of support, are ready to substantially increase that production.”
Maybe what should be worrying however is the fact that of those that have realised success, the bulk of them are specialising in tobacco farming while very few have taken up the growing of food crops at a large scale. Perhaps, this is because the tobacco crop is of a less demanding nature and can thrive even under harsh conditions, while also paying better. Maize — which just happens to be the basis of the country’s staple food — has as a result suffered major neglect, as has other food crops.
Agriculture still has the potential to see to the country’s food security and self-sustenance, and at the same time contribute significantly to the gross domestic product. However, that will require a number of changes.
One simple fact the country needs to face if agriculture in all its essence is to be revived in the country, is that farming is an art that must be conducted in a certain particular manner for it to yield long-term positive results.
The changing climatic conditions for starters, make it quite impossible for farmers to stick to old traditional ways of farming and still expect to reap a bumper harvest. There is definite and urgent need for a paradigm shift that will result in the embracing by the agriculture sector players, of new tried and tested farming practices, which will guarantee results.
I believe the answer is in conservation agriculture (CA), which emphasises on linking farming to environmental conservation, factors that should not have been separated in the first place.
FAO in 2007 described CA as “A concept for resource-saving agricultural crop production that strives to achieve acceptable profits together with high and sustained production levels while concurrently conserving the environment.”
Minimal mechanical soil disturbance, stopping soil erosion and water loss, zero tillage and crop rotation are some of the terms Zimbabwe’s agriculture sector players need to be acquainted with if the country is to once and for all revive its agriculture.
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