Exchange rate overvaluation and agricultural performance in Zimbabwe: 1965-1985

A research paper on agricultural perfomance in Zimbabwe between 1965 to 1985, originally presented at the Fourth Annual Conference on Food Security In Southern Africa, 31 October- 3 November, 1988.In the 1960s and early 1970s, most African countries followed relatively passive exchange rate policies. This was the period when the Bretton Wood System was still in force, and the relative price (exchange rate) stability prevailed in both developed and developing countries. However, in 1972 the Bretton Wood System broke down and a number of developed countries adopted floating exchange rate systems. Most African countries opted not to float their currencies, but instead preferred to peg their currencies to a single currency (e.g., the US dollar) or to a basket of currencies. With the benefit of hindsight, this appears to have been a mistake, because confronted with the oil crisis, increased inflation, and falling terms of trade, for many countries the exchange rate became overvalued. Prices were slowly getting out of line and export competitiveness was being lost. In the 1970s, no one was alarmed because any disequilibrium in balance of payments was covered by capital inflows from abroad.US Agency for International Development (USAID

Agricultural, marketing and trade policies to promote food security in the SADCC region: a research proposal

A research paper on regional co-operation in agricultural marketing in Southern Africa to enhance and promote regional food security.In recent years, the nine member states of SADCC have voiced great interest in expanding intraregional trade as one strategy to increasing food security within the region. The fact that six of the nine countries are landlocked, transport costs are high, and dependence on trade with external countries (including South Africa) is viewed as precarious, has contributed to a sense of urgency which resulted in the funding of prefeasibility and feasibility studies to investigate establishing a regional food security scheme based on local grain reserves,The research supporting the preparation the proceedings papers was financed by the U.S. Agency for International Development, Bureau of Science and Technology; Bureau for Africa; and the Southern Africa Regional Programme