Zimbabwe’s Agriculture Sectors: Role in the Economic Development Report

Introduction

This report is dedicated to exploring the agriculture sectors of Zimbabwe and their role in the economic development of the country. Agriculture can be considered a prominent branch of the Zimbabwean economy. About 57% of women aged between 20 and 31 and 47% of men in this age range grow fruits, breed livestock, and cultivate tobacco and corn.¹ To this day, the general trend is that agricultural production still relies on centuries-old manual labor technology. Such a policy needed competent reforms aimed at the overall improvement of the agricultural sector and the economy as a whole. In recent years, Zimbabwean agriculture sectors experienced transformation as the government allowed the private sector to fund agricultural activities.² The paradigm shift created new conditions and opportunities, which will be examined in this report.

Aim

This report, examining recent changes in Zimbabwe’s economy and their current potential impact on the subsectors of agriculture, aims to search for recommendations for the development of agricultural activities. The identified recommendations should be based on the current agricultural and economic situation of the country. For this purpose, an overview of the leading subsectors and an analysis of the strategic trajectory of agricultural development will be presented.

Conceptual Clarification

The report utilizes the following fundamental concepts related to Zimbabwean agriculture:

• Leading Sub-Sector: one of the critical branches of Zimbabwean agriculture that has significant importance to the national economy;
• Reform: a recent step undertaken by the Zimbabwean government in order to foster the development of the national agriculture;
• Policy Implications: positive or negative outcomes of reforms in regard to economic development in Zimbabwe; the policy implications can either be current or potential, which might happen if a corresponding reform is implemented.

Conceptual Framework

In terms of a conceptual framework, the report is structured by the top-down approach. Firstly, several leading sub-sectors of Zimbabwean agriculture are discussed in detail. Secondly, the report describes the recent reforms that impact the leading sub-sectors. Afterward, the current and potential policy implications of reforms are explored. Finally, the paper provides a brief conclusion and summarizes practical recommendations regarding the reforms and the development of the leading sub-sectors in the context of the Zimbabwean economy.

Discussion

Currently, agriculture is one of the main sectors of Zimbabwe’s economy. First of all, the importance lies in ensuring jobs, which protects the country from widespread unemployment and poverty among the population. Moreover, raw materials extracted in the course of agricultural activities enter the industrial sector and help the development of the overall economy. The issue of land is the growing overpopulation and inequality in land ownership, during which overused plots are depleted and provoke poverty among the local population. This has an obvious negative impact on the rural industry and the economy as a whole.

Thus, due the active state policy, agriculture occupies a leading place in the country’s economy. This is proved by the fact that many other industries depend on the success of agriculture and need good indicators for further economic stimulation. Even despite the relatively small percentage of arable land, this industry is actively developing and becoming the basis for other industries. Currently, the following leading agriculture sub-sectors in Zimbabwe may be defined:

Tobacco

Tobacco cultivation is the most important agriculture sub-sector in terms of Zimbabwean international trade. In 2020 tobacco sales earned $782 million for the country’s budget, or around 9% of total export. In 2021, Zimbabwe was expected to sell over 200 million kilograms of tobacco worldwide.³ Therefore, tobacco cultivation can be considered a top-priority agriculture sub-sector, essential for the economic development of the whole country.

Cotton

Zimbabwe has a solid potential for growing and ginning cotton, which makes it a valuable agriculture sub-sector. However, the national cotton growth and ginning capacities are used quite inefficiently. For instance, in the 2019/2020 agricultural season, Zimbabwe produced only 85,000 metric tons of cotton out of 600,000 metric tons deemed possible in the 2017 UN Conference on Trade and Development report.⁴ Such inefficiency is likely associated with insufficient technological development, including the lack of equipment and reluctance to use GMO-improved seeds.

Livestock

In terms of livestock, Zimbabwean agriculture prioritizes the South-African Boer goats due to their impressive breeding abilities. In addition, Boer goat females excel at nurturing, so they can produce offspring in twins, triplets, or even quads with very few deaths. For example, Milton Zhakata, a Zimbabwean Boer goat farmer, managed to increase his herd from 25 to approximately 300 goats.⁵ Therefore, goat farming has the potential to mitigate food issues in Zimbabwe.

Indicators of the agricultural sector in the Southern African Development Community countries have a strong impact on economic growth and security, and social stability in the region. This includes the share of export earnings, food, as well as income and employment of the population. Thus, the sectors and subsectors of agriculture become the basis of the SADC economy.

Analysis/Strategic Solutions

Analyzing the reforms and strategic decisions carried out by the Government of Zimbabwe, one can clearly see their concern about the agricultural sector. Two broad areas have undergone significant changes to strengthen the sector in the country’s economy:

Privatization

The Zimbabwean government has put efforts into shifting from command to entrepreneurial agriculture. President Emerson Mnangagwa promised to grant 99-year land leases to white farmers and protect them with security guarantees. In addition, black youth is encouraged to enter agriculture as private-sector farmers instead of working office and factory jobs.⁶ These measures correlate with suggestions of prioritizing the development of agriculture and improving land policy in terms of security.⁷ In my opinion, the reform may restore the trust of people in the authorities. In the course of establishing a more transparent and efficient agricultural model, farmers receive a new incentive for the development of the sector, which inevitably leads to an improvement in the agricultural situation.

Conservationism

The Zimbabwean government seeks to make agriculture more efficient by conserving its limited resources. For instance, the government program of agricultural subsidies called Pfumvudza emphasizes minimum soil disturbance — crop rotations and intercropping preserve permanent soil cover.⁸ Furthermore, Zimbabwe needs to adopt smart agriculture by developing high-yield crops and using the country’s soil efficiently.⁹ According to my assessment, this approach of the government to taking care of the country’s resources also increases the attitude of farmers to the authorities and gives a sense of alliance. Seeing the indifference to the state of the environment, the farmer also raises the bar for the quality of resource use and takes care of the nature. In general, this will also have a positive effect, stimulating the further development of the sector.

Conclusion

Overall, Zimbabwe depends on improvements in the leading agriculture sub-sectors in order to achieve substantial economic development. Being a country with relatively poor land resources, Zimbabwe copes well with the task of developing the sector. Academic research suggests that sound land policy, farmers’ trust in the government, and smart techniques are essential for a successful agricultural industry. In this regard, the Zimbabwean government has recently begun to take correct steps after years of poor stewardship. The trends for privatization and conservationism are optimistic, provided that Zimbabwean authorities will remain faithful to this course.

Recommendations

The report analyzed the current agricultural situation in the country. Based on the leading sub-sectors and reform overview, it is possible to make the following recommendations:

• The shift towards entrepreneurial agriculture should continue — farmers should be provided with credits at reasonably low rates;
• The land policy should promote confidence and security; in particular, experienced white farmers should be able to live and share their knowledge with young black farmers without fear of being evicted;
• Zimbabwean agriculture should emphasize sustainability and conservationism in agriculture by adopting technological advancements such as GMO crops and utilizing crop rotation and intercropping.

Bibliography

Chavunduka, Charles, Dipura, Romeo, and Vudzijena. Vimbai. “Land, Investment and Production in Agrarian Transformation in Zimbabwe.”Land Use Policy, 105, 105371 (2021): 1-7. Web.

International Trade Administration. “Zimbabwe – Country Commercial Guide.” Web.

Runganga, Raynold and Mhaka, Simbarashe. “Impact of Agricultural Production on Economic Growth in Zimbabwe.”MPRA, University Library of Munich, (2021): 1-20. Web.

Simango, Audrey. “Zimbabwean Young Farmers Lead the Charge in Agriculture.” Africa Renewal, Web.

Footnotes

• 1. Simango, Audrey. “Zimbabwean Young Farmers Lead the Charge in Agriculture.” Africa Renewal, Web.
• 2. “Zimbabwe – Country Commercial Guide.” International Trade Administration, Web.
• 3. International Trade Administration. “Zimbabwe – Country Commercial Guide.”
• 4. International Trade Administration. “Zimbabwe – Country Commercial Guide.”
• 5. Simango, “Zimbabwean Young Farmers”
• 6. Simango, “Zimbabwean Young Farmers”
• 7. Charles Chavunduka, Romeo Dipura, and Vimbai Vudzijena. “Land, Investment and Production in Agrarian Transformation in Zimbabwe.”Land Use Policy, 105, 105371 (2021): 1-7. Web.
• 8. Simango, “Zimbabwean Young Farmers”
• 9. Raynold Runganga and Simbarashe Mhaka. “Impact of Agricultural Production on Economic Growth in Zimbabwe.”MPRA, University Library of Munich, (2021): 1-20. Web.