Policy options for irrigated food production in Southern Africa

A research paper offering policy options for irrigated food production in the SADC region.Southern African states irrigate about two per cent of their cropped area and they believe further irrigation development will enhance the food security of the region. This article reviews the levels of irrigation development in Botswana, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The policy debate issues includean assessment of the potential for further irrigation development, large- and small-scale systems, complementarity and competition between irrigated and rain-fed agriculture, the weak farmer and government institutions, as well as official recognition of the importance of micro-scale irrigation. All SADC states have a limited number of people trained and experienced in the various fields of irrigation. It was found that there is little on-going research, though the need for it is growing, on the economics of irrigated food production to national and household levels, the possibilities of intensifying and diversifying agriculture into high-value crops and the effectiveness of irrigation as a catalyst for non-farm jobs in rural areas

Policy options for irrigated food production in Southern Africa

A research paper offering policy options for irrigated food production in the SADC region.Southern African states irrigate about two per cent of their cropped area and they believe further irrigation development will enhance the food security of the region. This article reviews the levels of irrigation development in Botswana, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The policy debate issues includean assessment of the potential for further irrigation development, large- and small-scale systems, complementarity and competition between irrigated and rain-fed agriculture, the weak farmer and government institutions, as well as official recognition of the importance of micro-scale irrigation. All SADC states have a limited number of people trained and experienced in the various fields of irrigation. It was found that there is little on-going research, though the need for it is growing, on the economics of irrigated food production to national and household levels, the possibilities of intensifying and diversifying agriculture into high-value crops and the effectiveness of irrigation as a catalyst for non-farm jobs in rural areas

Organisation And Management Of Small-Holder Irrigation In Zimbabwe: An Overview

A DLM Working Paper on management of small holder irrigation farms in Zimbabwe.This paper discusses the organisation, and management of small-holder irrigation in Zimbabwe. Government and parastatal organisations involved are discussed and so are the national goals of small-holder irrigation development. Management is examined at irrigation scheme level to show the role of farmer/organisations. A brief historical backkground on small-holder irrigation development is provided; land tenure and water rights are discussed. The government heavily subsidizes small-holder schemes and the issue of cost recovery.is discussed

Impact of smallholder irrigation in Zimbabwe

A research paper on the impact of irrigation-based agriculture on zimbabwe's rural small-holder farmlands.Assessing the impact of irrigation is complex and multi-faceted, and, often, value-judgements make a difference in approach and result of analysis. In this paper, I shall argue that the case of smallholder irrigation in Zimbabwe is no exception. In fact, one needs to put smallholder irrigation in its proper context with regards to its past, present and future role in the national economy. A number of studies have dealt with the political economy of smallholder irrigation (Roder 1965,,' j Rukuni 1984 and 1986, Mudekunye 1979). The general observation is that irrigation investments in communal areas were regarded by subsequent colonial governments as one of few productive public investments (such as roads and bridges) provided for these dry, drought-prone, government neglected parking lots for native Zimbabweans. In an attempt to enhance food security and settle displaced blacks (Roder 1965), a conventional cost-benefit analysis hardly asks nor answers all the rights question

REFLECTIONS ON AGRARIAN REFORM AND CAPACITY BUILDING IN SOUTH AFRICA

Institutional and Behavioral Economics,

Major issues in designing a research programme on household food insecurity

A conference paper on household food insecurity in Southern Africa.Over the past decade, the economies in Southern African have experienced difficulties in meeting the food needs of their population. The reasons for household food insecurity include exogenous factors such as drought, high oil prices, and declining terms of trade for cash crops and raw materials; civil strife; lack of appropriate technology; poor performance of supporting research, credit, marketing and extension institutions; and inappropriate agricultural and macroeconomic policies. Morover, under conditions of rapid population growth, pressure is placed on the natural resource base—leading to resource degradation which threatens the sustainability of agriculture in future years (Eicher, 1986; Jayne, et. al., 1987). Due to these factors, the food security of many rural households throughout Southern Africa is at risk.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

CRAFTING SMALLHOLDER-DRIVEN AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SYSTEMS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Farming systems in Zimbabwe’s smallholder agricultural sector: the case of Gokwe South District

A Working Paper on the smallholder agriculture sector in a rural area of ZimbabweFarming systems in Gokwe South District today are essentially the product of interactions between local indigenous cultivation systems and external interventions. Dryland crop production is the major income generating activity in the area. The major food crops are maize and groundnuts, while cotton and sunflower are the major cash crops. Through the years, changes in bio-physical conditions and population densities have led to a shift from traditional staples such as sorghum and millet to dominant grains, notably, maize. The introduction of a market economy and cash crops in local farming systems has also resulted in local crop production systems moving away from a purely subsistence activity to a partially commercialized industry. Livestock is an integral part of all smallholder farming systems, with cattle constituting the bulk of domesticated animals. Indigenous beef cattle constitute the bulk of cattle kept by individual households. However, farmers' current projections portray a trend of declining indigenous stock, accompanied by an increase in the commercial dairy herd size. The major identified constraints include unfavourable geo-physical conditions, an inadequate, resource base, restricted access, to inputs, labour bottlenecks, pests and diseases, inappropriate post-harvest technology’, poor animal nutrition, poor animal health delivery systems, under-utilised genetic potential, insufficient infrastructure for disposal of marketable produce, and lack of institutional support

Comparative agriculcural production constraints of a high and low rainfall communal area farming system

Communal Areas are in general, areas of low agricultural potential. This paper discusses agricultural developments in two Communal Areas, Hangwende, a higher rainfall area, compared to the other case of Chibi Communal Area. Discussion ana findings are based on the 1981 Chibi and 1982 Mangwende "diagnostic"surveys. Major findings were that, although cropping patterns are similar in both areas, Mangwende farmers managed higher yields and incomes. In spite of this, farmers in both areas face similar production constraints which make their crop husbandry practices compromise potential yield. The shortage of draft animals, with 59% in Chibi and 54% in Mangwende of non-cattle owners, productivity is much lower for this group of farmers. Because of their lack of draft, their planting is often untimely and because of less access to kraal manure, which is a major source of attaining soil fertility, yields are depressed. Cattle owners tended to crop larger areas and to do more winter ploughing