Zimbabwe’s contrasting agricultural landscapes expose the disparities between commercial farming and smallholder agriculture. Hamond Motsi, a PhD student at the faculty of agrisciences at Stellenbosch University, discusses the challenges faced by rural communities in accessing resources, the complexities of Zimbabwe’s farming sector, and the urgent need for sustainable irrigation development.
Previously, in my recent article titled “Zim Harvest Struggle: Emotional Agony Amid Climate Crisis,” I explained the dire situation affecting Zimbabwe’s agriculture due to the El Niño-induced climate change drought. This has resulted in uncomfortable views of the agricultural fields in several regions of the country, indicating a bleak and hazy future for the country’s food security in the coming months.
Recently, I undertook a journey across the other side of the country and observed that not everyone is grappling with the same challenges.
During my travel through the Mazowe area en route to Mvurwi, I encountered a significant disparity between the commercial farming that side in contrast to other smallholder farming in other parts of the country. The scenery along the road conveyed a clear message of the distinct agriculture in Zimbabwe, characterising it as a “two-tier agriculture”.
Distinct features of Mazowe agriculture
Mazowe is a district situated in the Mashonaland central province of Zimbabwe, located approximately 40 kilometres northeast of the capital city, Harare. It is also positioned within Agro Region 2, according to the climatic region classification of Zimbabwe.
Additionally, there are several small towns within this district, including Concession, Glendale, and Nzvimbo growth points, which are characterised by a blend of commercial farmers and rural areas.
As a “two-tier agriculture”, Zimbabwe agriculture is composed of smallholder farmers and commercial farmers. The key distinction lies in the fact that commercial farmers possess extensive land areas and diverse capital, enabling them to engage in intensive agricultural production.
In contrast, smallholder farmers face constraints such as limited access to land, capital, and resources, which restrict the scale of their agricultural operations.
The land redistribution that took place in Zimbabwe during the 2000s resulted in the redistribution of land into smaller plots, which led to the establishment of smallholder farms.
However, other farms were redistributed into larger plots, resulting in the creation of commercial farms. In the Mazowe area, many of the farms remained commercial and became home to famous commercial farms, including the former late Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe’s farm, and the famous Mazowe citrus farm, which supplies the renowned Mazowe orange crush drink.
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Revolutionising agriculture with advanced irrigation systems
The thing that is truly remarkable about the igniting agriculture in Mazowe is that farmers there have access to advanced irrigation systems, particularly centre pivot irrigation systems. The centre pivot system is an incredible and sophisticated irrigation system that rotates in a circular motion around a pivot point.
The advantages of this system are numerous and include its ability to distribute water uniformly and efficiently, its flexibility in allowing for the use of other farm implements in the same field, its applicability to almost all crops, reduced labour costs, and time-saving benefits. These benefits are significantly greater than those of other conventional irrigation systems, leading to increased crop yields in pivot systems.
Considering this, the centre pivot system has revolutionised the agriculture sector globally through its contribution to increased food production.
According to recent data, the adoption of irrigation in Zimbabwe has been relatively low, with a notable concentration of this trend among commercial farmers. In fact, only about 25% of the entire irrigation system is currently under pivot agriculture, which is primarily found in commercial farming settings.
However, it is worth noting that there has been a gradual increase in irrigation adoption across Zimbabwe, particularly in commercial farming. Approximately 220 000 ha are under irrigation, which is roughly half of the total 400 000 ha required to sustain the entire country and ensure food security.
Major crops grown under irrigation include maize, tobacco, wheat, sugarcane, tea, and barley, and to a lesser extent, potatoes, soybeans, common beans, and sunflower.
Efforts to improve irrigation development in smallholder and rural farming communities have been ongoing for a considerable amount of time through the implementation of irrigation schemes.
These arrangements typically involve a group of small-scale farmers who cultivate their land in the same area and share a common water source for irrigation purposes. According to available statistics, there are more than 450 irrigation schemes in the rural regions of Zimbabwe, covering roughly 26 000 hectares of land and 45 000 small and medium-scale farms.
However, many of these irrigation systems remain underutilised, which undermines their productivity and potential to contribute to food security, particularly during these times when they are essential.
Government initiatives and future prospects
Recently, the government of Zimbabwe initiated the Zimbabwe Irrigation Rehabilitation and Development Programme, which aims to restore and enhance the performance of existing underperforming irrigation schemes, to ultimately reach their full functional capacity.
Furthermore, the programme seeks to expand approximately 183 000 ha of land countrywide to meet the required minimum of 400 000 ha for food security sustenance. This venture is not limited to the construction of technologies in the sector.
More interesting is that the government is installing centre pivot systems in these smallholder and communal farmers’ schemes, to enjoy the current advanced technologies in the agriculture sector, to frog jump their full production.
I recently had the opportunity to visit two of these new irrigation schemes in the western Mashonaland East region located in Macheke, and I can attest to the significant progress made in improving the productivity of smallholder farmers.
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Given the urgency of climate change and its impact on food security, it is crucial to accelerate the implementation of irrigation development, particularly in smallholder farming. Farmers can no longer engage in farming practices like those depicted in the biblical parable of the sower, where the sower scattered seeds without regard for the presence or absence of rain.
To meet the growing food demands of the expanding population and overcome the challenges posed by climate change, the agriculture sector of the 21st century necessitates the implementation of mechanised irrigation systems.
If Zimbabwe can achieve developmental progress equal to the scenario depicted in Mazowe, it is reasonable to anticipate that food insecurity will become a thing of the past. Such action-oriented mechanisation is crucial to ensure the efficient utilisation of resources and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.
- Hamond Motsi is a PhD student at the faculty of agrisciences at Stellenbosch University, interested in sustainable agriculture and agricultural development in Africa. He holds an MSc in agronomy (cum laude) from Stellenbosch University, BSc Hons in crop science, and BSc in crop and soil science (cum laude), both from the University of Fort Hare. You can contact him at onehammond2@gmail.com. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Food For Mzansi.
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