Challenges in agriculture and rural development in Zimbabwe: Towards Vision 2030

By Morgen Makombo Sikwila

Agriculture contributes immensely to the Zimbabwean economy in various ways; namely, in the provision of food for the increasing population; supply of adequate raw materials to the industrial sector; a major source of employment and generation of foreign currency.

 The agrarian sector has a strong rural base; hence concern for agriculture and rural development becomes synonymous, with a common root and that the bedrock of agriculture and rural development in Zimbabwe is rural development will be futile.

Zimbabwe agriculture remains largely traditional and concentrated in the hands of smallholders. The neglect of agriculture has resulted to the mass exodus of rural dwellers to towns and this in turn has made rural areas qualitatively and quantitatively depopulated and progressively less attractive for socio-economic investment.  It is the view of the writer that in order to facilitate agricultural development, government should adopt an integrated rural development approach which is a multidimensional strategy for improving the quality of life of the rural people.

Contemporary events around the continent shows increasing concern for the majority of people inhabiting in the rural areas. Agriculture is faced with fundamental changes. Human population growth, suppressed incomes and shifting dietary patterns are  increasing  the demand for food and other agricultural products. The natural resources base underpinning agricultural production is under threat, with growing threats to genetic diversity and the degradation of land and water resources.

  Agriculture improves food security most fundamentally by increasing the amount of food and also providing the means to purchase food. Though growth in agricultural productivity and higher farming profits, the rural poor can generate additional income to purchase more food including more diverse kinds of food.

Despite the strategies adopted by the Government of Zimbabwe to address agriculture and rural development problems, the story still remains the same. There is still inequality and poverty particularly in the rural areas.  There are a lot of public complaints on the underdevelopment situations of many rural areas which constitutes a threat to Zimbabwe’s Vision 2023. A lot of resources (financially) have been injected, but all in vain.

Zimbabwe has abundant arable land and labour which, with sound policies and politics, could be translated into increased production, incomes and security.

  This has not materialized because of lack of consistent policies; politics and or effective implementation strategies. Despite agriculture accounting for 70 per cent of labour force, over 25 per cent of GDP and 20 per cent of agribusiness in the country, it continues to be given low priority.  Agriculture has a high multiplier effect – meaning that agricultural investment can generate high economic and social returns and enhances diversification as well as as social development.

A large majority of the farmers operate at the subsistence, smallholder level with intensive agriculture being relatively low. Agriculture and rural development in Zimbabwe has been neglected for some reasons: poor commitment and weak capacities in partner organizations, international interests in rural issues, and poor commitment and weak past performance in the banking sector. Actions to address these causes of poor commitment represents the key components of this rural sector strategy. There is absence of infrastructure (water, electricity supply and motor able roads) which improve quality of life.

  The rural areas have low purchasing power of agricultural inputs.  The ongoing neglect of rural areas continues to widen the gaps between the rural and urban areas regarding the levels of social and economic opportunities, physical development and infrastructural services.

Zimbabwe has of late focused resources on infrastructural development and the industrial sector, often at the expense of the rural sector.

  The government is failing to recognize the critical importance of productivity improvements and growth in the rural sector in the long transition from an agrarian to urban-industrial society.

The rural poor have little to no political power. Because rural populations are geographically dispersed, and because rural communications and transportation infrastructure are often poor, rural poor, women in particular, have little to no political voices. Urban elites pursue policies that disadvantage the agricultural sector.  These policies include excessive taxation through overvalued exchange rates, industrial protection and export taxes.

The role of the state and traditional public in agriculture and rural development had been unclear.  Public institutions or parastatals have dominated the agricultural sector by controlling input and output markets, and access to finance.

 These institutions have been highly inefficient and unresponsive to changes in market conditions and provide privileges and rents to a favoured few. Resources have been concentrated in the hands of the few. Land, capital and access to land and technology have been concentrated in the hands of the elite. This distribution has sometimes led to high unemployment and low productivity among rural folks, continued with overcapitalisation of agriculture and poor utilization of land.

Designing incentive systems to deal with common property resources is inherently difficult. Natural resources, such as water, pastures, forests and fisheries are being overused and degraded in many areas because they are often treated as open access resources with few restrictions on who may use them.

Agriculture and rural development in Zimbabwe is faced with the paradox that the production orientated rural economy relies heavily on non-productive people who are ill-equiped with outdated tools, technical information, scientific and cultural training and whose traditional roles and access to the resources pose problems for their effective incorporation into modern economic systems.

 Rural areas have become qualitatively depopulated and are more progressively less attractive for social and economic investments while the urban areas are becoming physically congested, socially unhealthy and generally uneconomic to maintain because has been flooded by people moving from rural areas who are either unemployed or unemployable or marginally employed or underemployed.

The Zimbabwean Government has over the years formulated good agricultural policies meant to encourage food production but such policies have been found inefficient and ineffective since the intended results have not been realized.

  To achieve the Millennium Developmental Goal of cutting hunger and poverty, agricultural growth must be put back on top of the development agenda- but ‘business as usual’ will not suffice.  The dynamic changes now influencing agricultural production, diversification and competitiveness require a thorough re-analysis to develop better ways to support tomorrow’s agriculture.

For rural development to occur and endure, there has to be enhanced rural income, reduced poverty and unemployment, reduced inequalities, increased rural value added production, enhanced good health and education, enhanced quality of life through potable water, electricity, good roads, greater integration of rural people into the political and economic process and good communication services.

Strategies to transform Zimbabwe agriculture has to address such challenges as low investment and productivity, poor infrastructure, lack of funding for agriculture research, inadequate use of yield – enhancing technologies, weak linkages between agriculture and other sectors, unfavourable policies and regulatory environments and climate change.

  The rural people should be deeply involved. The rural people should be encouraged to come together to form cooperatives for the purpose of sourcing loans for establishing small scale industries.

 There is need for training and retraining of rural people to enhance the dissemination of new skills and ideas on the establishment, management and skills of small scale industries.  There is need to upgrade extension services and reinforce adaptive research to develop suitable technology.

Strategies for rural development have come in various shapes and sizes.  There appears to be no definite answer to a most plausible and effective way of improving the lives and conditions of rural people. The best way to empower rural dwellers is to empower them through their occupations. Agriculture is the major occupation of our rural dwellers and it must be sustained.

Morgen Makombo Sikwila MSc Peace and Governance

BSc Counselling

Diploma in Environmental Health Health

Certificate in Marketing Management

e-mail: morgensikwilam@gmail.com

Phone Number: 0772823282