The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure
Senior Reporter
ZIMBABWE launched the fast-track land reform programme in 2000 as part of an ongoing land reform and resettlement programme aimed at addressing a racially skewed land distribution pattern inherited at Independence.
In 1980, Zimbabwe inherited an agrarian structure of roughly 5 000 white-owned commercial farms and 700 000 communal and small-scale commercial farms.
The white farmers had meticulously established farmer and commodity associations, developed a political power base, and promoted agricultural knowledge development that discriminated against blacks.
The first phase of land redistribution which took place until 1985 was slow due to the “willing buyer-willing seller” policy as well as financial constraints in purchasing land and providing investment in resettlement areas.
Therefore the historic land reform programme ushered in a new era of inclusive agriculture that corrected the economic, social and political inequalities of the past.
About 300 000 families were resettled on former white-owned commercial farms. By broadening the base of players in the sector, the land reform drive would led to household and national food security with an increase in agriculture’s contribution to the gross domestic product.
Rural development expert, Professor Joseph Kamuzhanje said the land redistribution exercise received massive support from the peasant and landless Zimbabweans who regarded it as a gateway to economic freedom, but was met with stern resistance from the white landowners and the international community that viewed it as a political gimmick.
“In the eyes of the detractors, the land reform programme was viewed as an instrument to settle political scores. It was misconstrued as if it meant to take land from the whites along political lines.
“In that regard, it had to be opposed at all costs. The international community imposed sanctions on the country, making it difficult for the country to get foreign direct investment, not only in the agriculture sector, but in other economic sectors as well,” said Prof Kamuzhanje.
The land reform programme also coincided with a series of droughts attributed to climate change, which, together with the absence of a definitive investment, financial support and vibrant extension, resulted in reduced yields and productivity.
Agricultural performance varied dramatically year-to-year depending on the rainfall.
Persistent droughts
Zimbabwe also endured serious and persistent droughts since 2000 — which manifested at household level through high levels of food and nutrition insecurity — thereby prompting the Government to spend a lot of scarce foreign currency in importing maize and other cereals to bridge the gap in food production. The international community, through the World Food Programme (WFP), carried out various food assistance programmes to mitigate the food security crisis. It is critical to note that Zimbabwe is an agro-based economy and if therefore when the agricultural sector fails to perform, the rest of the economy sneezes. The challenges caused by climate change have shown that in the absence of irrigated crop production, the sector cannot thrive.
Therefore numerous irrigation schemes have been established across the country, with further studies concluding that small-holder irrigation is financially and economically viable.
This, however, requires farmer participation in scheme planning and management, cultivation of high value crops, and the existence of supporting infrastructure, especially roads, to allow links to markets.
Command Agriculture and Pfumvudza programmes
The success of the agrarian reform, which was started in 2000, has now been complimented by two crucial schemes — the Command Agriculture and Climate-Proofed Presidential Inputs Programme (Pfumvudza).
These programmes have been ensuring farmers’ access to wheat, soya beans, tobacco, maize, cotton and traditional grains inputs, fuel, tractors and finance.
Due to Command Agriculture, Zimbabwe produced more maize in 2017 than was ever grown by white farmers, who have repeatedly been praised for making the country the bread basket of Africa. Maize production in 2017 was 2,2 million tonnes. This year, Zimbabwe is expecting between 2,5 million and 2,8 million tonnes of maize and 360 000 tonnes of traditional grains, the largest yield since the fast-track land reform started in 2000.
Plans to involve the private sector more is set to enhance the programme.
“Its major drawback is the lack of proper supervision and motivation for farmers to meet their obligations or face the consequences. The current moves to involve the private sector more will definitely enhance the programme.
“In spite of all these challenges, the fact that there are more players in the sector means that the risk has been spread more widely.
“There have been a number of success stories in both communal and new resettlement areas to suggest that with more and better policy, technical, technological and financial support, the sector can thrive once more and return Zimbabwe to its status as the bread basket of the continent,” said Prof Kamuzhanje.
This season the bulk of the crop was planted under the Pfumvudza and Command Agriculture, initiatives that earned Government praise for prioritising farmers welfare through such sponsored schemes aimed at reviving agriculture and improving their economic conditions and food security.
With the country spending over 800 million dollars annually on maize and wheat imports, President Mnangagwa launched the Agricultural Recovery Plan and the Agricultural and Food Systems Transformation Strategy, whose objectives are to restore the country’s food security and create a US$8,2 billion agriculture economy by the year 2023.
Agricultural growth has made five strategic contributions to the economic development — contributing to food security and political stability; feeding a growing population and meeting the changing food consumption preferences; increasing agricultural exports to generate new income streams for farmers and increase employment and foreign exchange earnings; generating Government revenue by taxing farm production; as well as serving as a market for industrial products like farm machinery and equipment.
Buoyed by the need to empower new farmers, Government took major policy decisions to invest in new technology in agricultural research; human capital and managerial skills, biological capital investments and physical capital investments in infrastructure such as dams, irrigation, and roads, among other things.
This, coupled by Command Agriculture and Pfumvudza, laid a strong foundation upon which the country has been able to increase maize, cotton, soya bean, tobacco and traditional grains production.
Even the United States Department of Agriculture has acknowledged that the huge increase in maize production was mainly due to favourable weather conditions and a special programme for import substitution, the Command Agriculture.
Tobacco farming, which used to be a preserve for a few white farmers, is now widely spread among the citizenry with many in communal areas partaking in this lucrative enterprise and transforming their lives.
The bulk of the crop is funded through contractors.
Tobacco farming tells a success story of the land reform programme as it has brought revenue to the country and has helped farmers to pull themselves out of poverty. It continues to be a source of livelihood for millions of people in the country.
Mr Shepard Nyika, who planted 314 hectares of maize, said agriculture has been a great pursuit.
“It’s an eventful season with broadly positive result for farmers. We have the best crop in history. It’s a busy time of the season for farmers tendering and harvesting, while searching for the next smart and innovative ways to improve operations, minimise costs and maximise crop yields,” said Mr Nyika, adding that investing in agriculture is the best way to ensure national food security.
“Youths need to appreciate that life and health are unconceivable without agriculture. It is the alpha and omega, the mother of all industries, and the basis for any stable economy. A secure food supply is critical for a thriving nation. If agriculture goes wrong, nothing else will have a chance to go right,” said Mr Nyika.
