Zimbabwes agricultural industry

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to investigate the agricultural industry in the Republic of Zimbabwe. Hence, the types of agricultural products, the different classes of farmers, the agricultural system, the agricultural extension services, the marketing of agricultural products and the contribution of agriculture to the economy of Zimbabwe were examined. It was found that agriculture used to be the mainstay of Zimbabwean economy more especially in the 1980s. However, the trend is reversed in the recent years as a result of basically political instability in the country. This development leads to a drastic reduction in the Zimbabwean agricultural output to the extent that the country can no longer feed itself. Finally, the government should consider the possible consequences of the conditionality of IMF/World before accepting any package from them. It was also recommended that the government should tackle the problem being faced by farmers. Key words: Agriculture, Zimbabwe, Africa.