Agriculture In Zimbabwe Research Articles

Trace metal speciation trends in Mazowe dam, Zimbabwe, a typical sub-tropical dam ecosystem impacted by gold mining and agriculture.

The present study aimed to assess trace metal speciation trends in the water and sediments of Mazowe Dam, a typical sub-tropical dam ecosystem impacted by gold mining and agriculture in Zimbabwe. The elements studied include Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn. Elemental speciation in the water column was determined using Visual MINTEQ version 3.1 geochemical computer modelling, while speciation in the sediment phase was determined using sequential extraction techniques. For each element, the data obtained were subjected to extensive correlation analysis to identify intra- and inter-metal species interactions in the water column and the sediment phase, as well as across the water-sediment interface. Possible mechanisms to account for the observed species interactions are proposed. In the water column, Co was predicted to have the highest number of chemical species (9), Cd and Zn (8), Mn and Fe (7), Ni (6), Pb (5), Al and Cu (3), Cr, Hg, and As have the least (2). In the sediment, Al, As, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni and Fe mainly exist in the residual fraction, while Zn and Mn concentrations in fractions vary per sampling site, with no fraction that is dominant across the sampling sites. Equilibrium exchange reactions across the water-sediment interface were observed e.g., for Cd species /FA2Cd (aq) and Co species /FACo+2G (aq), and /FA2Co (aq). This study is valuable in highlighting trace metal speciation in a tropical dam ecosystem in Africa and adds to the growing knowledge about the behaviour of trace metals in aquatic ecosystems in the region and globally.

Misunderstood with No Desire to Be Understood: Socio-Cultural Dimension of Farming and Conservation Agriculture in Zimbabwe

Misunderstood with No Desire to Be Understood: Socio-Cultural Dimension of Farming and Conservation Agriculture in Zimbabwe

Elemental composition and speciation trends in Upper Mazowe River, a typical sub-tropical river ecosystem impacted by gold mining and agriculture in Zimbabwe

This study was carried on Upper Mazowe River in Zimbabwe which connects with Luenha River in Mozambique, which is a tributary of the Zambezi River. Zambezi River is the fourth longest river in Africa flowing into the Indian Ocean, which makes the study of regional and global interest. Heavy metal aqueous speciation has received relatively little attention compared to sediment speciation in the Upper Mazowe River, and yet heavy metal behaviour and fate in surface waters are greatly affected by the heavy metal chemical form in solution. The aim of the study was to determine the elemental composition and speciation of heavy metal(oid)s. This study focused on water and sediment speciation of Al, As, Cu, Hg, Mn, Fe, and Pb using Visual MINTEQ Version 3.1 computer modelling and sequential extraction techniques. Twenty-eight different water column elemental species, comprising 3, 2, 3, 1, 7, 7 and 5 species each, and 35 sediment phase elemental species, comprising 6, 6, 6, 2, 6, 5, and 4 species each for Al, As, Cu, Hg, Mn, Fe, and Pb respectively, were identified. Of note is the fact that Hg, mainly derived from artisanal gold mining activities, exists entirely as the fulvic acid complex, FA2Hg (aq), and As exists as H3AsO3 and H2AsO3− in the water phase. Exchange equilibrium reactions across the water-sediment interface were observed for Mn2+, Fe2+, Cu2+, and Pb2+. Reactions leading to the formation of the species were identified. Species interactions within the water column and sediment phase and species interrelationships with physicochemical parameters are discussed. H3AsO3 formation is predicted to be temperature sensitive and the aluminium hydroxide-fulvic acid complex /FA2(AlOH) (aq) is oxic favourable.

Walking where men walk: gendered politics of smallholder agriculture in Zimbabwe

Walking where men walk: gendered politics of smallholder agriculture in Zimbabwe

Trust in the Adoption of Internet of Things for Smart Agriculture in Developing Countries

Trust in online environments is based on beliefs in the trustworthiness of a trustee, which is composed of three distinct dimensions - integrity, ability, and benevolence. Zimbabwe has slowly adopted Internet of Things for smart agriculture as a way of improving on food security in the country, though there is hesitancy by most farmers citing trust issues as monitoring of crops, animals and farm equipment’s would be done online through connecting several devices and accessing data. Farmers are facing difficulties in trusting that the said technology has the ability to perform as expected in a specific situation or to complete a required task, i.e. if the technology will work consistently and reliably in monitoring the environment, nutrients, temperatures and equipment status. The integrity of the collected data as it will be used for decision making. There is a growing need to determine how trust in the technology influence the adoption of IoT for smart agriculture in Zimbabwe. The mixed methodology was used to gather data from 50 A2 model farmers randomly sampled in Zimbabwe. The findings revealed that McKnight etal. trust in technology model can be used to influence the adoption of IoT through trusting that the technology will be reliable and will operate as expected.Additional constructs such as security and distrust of technology can be used as reference for future research.

Medium-scale commercial agriculture in Zimbabwe: the experience of A2 resettlement farms

ABSTRACTThe emergence of medium-scale farms is having important consequences for agricultural commercialisation across Africa. This article examines the role of medium-scale A2 farms allocated following Zimbabwe's land reform after 2000. While the existing literature focuses on changing farm size distributions, this article investigates processes of social differentiation across medium-scale farms, based on qualitative-quantitative studies in two contrasting sites (Mvurwi and Masvingo-Gutu). Diverse processes of accumulation are identified across commercial, aspiring and struggling farmers, and linked to contrasting patterns of agricultural production and sale, asset ownership, employment and finance. The ability to mobilise finance, influenced by the state of the macro-economy, as well as forms of political patronage, is identified as a crucial driver. Contrary to assertions that A2 farms are largely occupied by ‘cronies’ and that they are unproductive and under-utilised, a more differentiated picture emerges, with important implications for policy and the wider politics of Zimbabwe's countryside following land reform.

Factors Influencing Market Participation by Smallholder Farmers in Masvingo and Manicaland Provinces, Zimbabwe

Markets play a critical role in economic development and strengthening market participation by smallholder farmers in both input and output markets is critical for the development of smallholder agriculture in Zimbabwe. This study analyzes the determinants of output markets participation in Masvingo and Manicaland provinces using data from a random sample 479 smallholder farmers. Market participation is very low with only 19% of the sample farmers participating in output markets. Results of the binary logistic regression show that the variables that have a positive and significant effect on outputs market participation are age of the head of household, the size of the household, the level of education of the head of household, the household agricultural income, the degree of farm specialization, access to irrigation, access to draft power, on demand extension service, quality of extension support, distance of the farm from the nearest rural business centre and tenure. Gender of the head of household, the level of education of household members, farming experience, the block training approach, the level of dependency, the farmer to farmer extension approach and household members with off-farm employment significantly and negatively influence market participation. In order to enhance smallholder farmers’ participation in output markets, the study recommends that policy intervention efforts must primarily focus on expanding access to irrigation and draft power as well as improving the quality of extension support services for the farmers.

Optimizing harmonics from Landsat time series data: the case of mapping rainfed and irrigated agriculture in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACTExplicit and large-scale information on farming systems is important for many applications such as crop production estimates, drought impact assessments or water footprint analysis. This contribution investigated the possibility of optimizing harmonic functions fitted to cloud-corrected Landsat NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) time-series imagery to effectively map rainfed and irrigated croplands in Zimbabwe. The following harmonic optimizations were investigated: the effect of the linear trend, length of the time series data and the harmonics degree. The verification accuracy scores for mapping the two farming systems were used to ascertain the most optimal harmonics settings. The most accurate classification results (overall accuracy of 97%) were produced when the linear trend was excluded and the full time period (2013 to 2018) with a 7th degree harmonics fitting function was used. Optimized harmonics provide an effective way to compute vegetation seasonality signals while accounting for data gaps and residual noise inherent in Landsat time-series data.

Wealth-related inequalities in adoption of drought-tolerant maize and conservation agriculture in Zimbabwe

This paper concerns Drought-Tolerant Maize (DTM) and Conservation Agriculture (CA) practices that were introduced into smallholder maize-based farming systems in Zimbabwe to enhance the productivity of maize and food security under a changing climate. Although these technologies are technically appropriate, there are difficulties with their use by smallholder farmers of relatively low socio-economic status, as measured through ownership of farm or household assets and endowments. Thus, we sought to quantify and explain wealth-related inequalities in the adoption of DTM and CA in smallholder farming communities and discuss their implications for food security. The analysis used cross-sectional household-level data gathered from 601 smallholder farmers from four districts in Zimbabwe. We found evidence of a pro-rich distribution of inequalities in the adoption of DTM and CA that were mostly explained by differences in household wealth, access to agricultural extension services and size of farm land. No meaningful differences in DTM adoption disparities were found across districts. Significant gender differences were observed for CA, and meaningful differences by district were noted. Results suggest the need for decision makers to consider implementing policies that focus on the poorer segments of the farming society to alleviate differences in the adoption of such agricultural technologies. For example, subsidizing the uptake of improved maize varieties including DTM and prioritizing equitable land distribution, coupled with specialised extension services for the poor in a cereal-based CA farming system, could reduce the observed gap between rich and poor in the uptake of these innovations and consequently improve food security.

Behaviour of smallholder farmers towards adoption of conservation agriculture in Zimbabwe

AbstractConservation agriculture is critical to sustainably increasing agricultural productivity, enhancing climate resilience and food security. Much research on adoption of conservation agriculture has focused on its agronomic benefits, but little attention has been paid to the contribution of the behaviour of farmers over its adoption. To close this gap, a study was carried out to investigate the behaviour of smallholder farmers towards the adoption of conservation agriculture in Chivi, Murehwa and Mutoko districts, Zimbabwe. Data were collected through a pre‐tested questionnaire administered to 360 farmers, selected through a multi‐stage sampling process. This method was triangulated through focus group discussions, key informant interviews and personal observations. Data were analysed using percentages, means and inferential statistics. The results show that, although fewer than 10% of the respondents had received any formal training in agriculture, more than 80% of them relied on it for their major source of income. The respondents had high levels of knowledge on the social, environmental and economic benefits of conservation agriculture. However, the majority of the non‐adopters had an indifferent perception towards conservation agriculture. The knowledge and perception of the farmers was explained by age, gender, education and experience with conservation agriculture. Results also show a weak but significant correlation between knowledge and perception (Rs = 0.306, p < 0.05), knowledge and adoption (Rs = 0.484, p < 0.05) but a strong and significant correlation between perception and adoption (Rs = 0.808, p < 0.05). Addressing perception gaps is key to enhance adoption of conservation agriculture.

Faith in international agricultural development: Conservation Agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa

The role of faith and religion in international development cooperation is hotly debated today. The legitimacy of this role remains, however, often confided to instrumental reasons. Yet, thinking about faith and religion only in instrumental terms leaves unquestioned the possibility of a religious background of development cooperation as a practice itself and the potential role of faith through individual practitioners that operate within secular NGOs, and research and policy institutes. The aim of the present paper is therefore to consider the structural role of faith and worldview in relation to agricultural development, moving beyond the discourse of instrumentality. We do this by focusing on Giller and Andersson’s political agronomy analysis of the promotion of Conservation Agriculture in Zimbabwe by the faith-based organisation ‘Foundations for Farming’. We argue that a distinction should be made between religion as a practice of believers and faith functioning as a worldview in every practice. In addition, we argue that it is helpful to distinguish between different kinds of practices involved in agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa, namely farming practice, agronomic scientific practice, and faith practice. The value of this philosophical analysis is that it challenges a dichotomous model of ‘science-based versus faith-based’ approaches to agricultural development. Furthermore, specific kinds of normativity are identified as always already functioning inside practices, rather than practices being neutral spaces that are (subjectively) infused with normativity by applying external ethical standards.

A model for the adoption and effective utilization of ICTs in commercial agriculture in Zimbabwe

The turn of the 21st century saw Zimbabwe embarking on the Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP) which promoted new commercial farmers in the agricultural sector in the country. These new commercial farmers in post-FTLRP utilise basic ICTs like mobile phones which have less significance in revitalizing their farming activities. This study seeks to establish reasons behind the low level of ICT adoption and underutilisation by new commercial farmers in Zimbabwe. Using the critical realism philosophical paradigm, the study proposes a model for the adoption as well as effective utilisation of ICTs in commercial agriculture in the country. It is further argued that the adoption of ICTs in commercial agriculture remains a challenge in Zimbabwe especially in the post land reform era where farmers concentrate on using basic farming equipment such as pivots, telecommunication lines and water pipes previously put in place by former owners most of which are now vandalized. It is hoped that the new farmers in order to adopt new technology in farming should be trained through workshop and seminars on the use of ICTs for effective commercial agriculture. The Government of Zimbabwe is further challenged to review the land ownership policy especially on timely processing of ownership documents.

Markets, institutions and policies: A perspective on the adoption of agricultural innovations

Successful adoption of agricultural innovations depends not just on the right technology but also on markets, institutions, and policies. We illustrate this argument with four case studies of agricultural innovations in the semi-arid tropics, two with high and two with low adoption. We show that the success of both hybrid pearl millet in India and dual-purpose cowpea in Nigeria depended on identifying market demand correctly and on innovative institutions to overcome constraints in the production and delivery of improved seed. Conversely, the low adoption of improved varieties of pigeon pea in Malawi and conservation agriculture in Zimbabwe reflect uncertain market conditions, misunderstood demand and the lack of sustainable institutions for input delivery. The results highlight how variations in the enabling conditions may influence the fate of agricultural innovations.

Exploring the Potential of Developmental Work Research and Change Laboratory to Support Sustainability Transformations: A Case Study of Organic Agriculture in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the emergence of transgressive learning in CHAT-informed development work research in a networked organic agriculture case study in Zimbabwe, based on intervention research involving district organic associations tackling interconnected issues of climate change, water, food security and solidarity. The study established that We change laboratories can be used to support transgressive learning through: confronting unproductive local norms; collective reframing of problematic issues; stimulating expansive learning and sustainability transformations in minds, relationships and landscapes across time. The study also confirms the need for fourth generation CHAT to address the complex social-ecological problems of today.

Carbon footprinting of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production systems in Zimbabwe

Agriculture contributes significantly to the global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Farmers need to fine-tune agricultural practices to balance the trade-offs between increasing productivity in order to feed a growing population and lowering GHG emissions to mitigate climate change and its impact on agriculture. We conducted a survey on the major cultural practices in four potato production systems in Zimbabwe, namely large-scale commercial, communal area, A1 and A2 resettlement production systems. The resettlement production systems were formed from the radical Fast Track Land Reform Programme initiated in 2000, which changed the landscape of commercial agriculture in Zimbabwe. We used survey data as an input into the ‘Cool Farm Tool – Potato’ model. The model calculates the contributions of various production operations to total GHG emission. Experienced growers were targeted. The average carbon footprint calculated was 251 kg CO2 eq./t potato harvested, ranging from 216 kg CO2 eq./t to 286 kg CO2 eq./t in the communal area and A2 resettlement production systems, respectively. The major drivers of the GHG emissions were fertilizer production and soil-related field emissions, which together accounted for on average 56% of the total emissions across all production systems. Although mitigation options were not assessed, the model outputs the factors/farm operations and their respective emission estimates allowing growers to choose the inputs and operations to reduce their carbon footprint. Opportunities for benchmarking as an incentive to improve performance exist given the large variation in GHG emission between individual growers.

URBAN AGRICULTURE AS A FOOD SECURITY STRATEGY FOR URBAN DWELLERS: A CASE STUDY OF MKOBA RESIDENTS IN THE CITY OF GWERU, ZIMBABWE

Urban agriculture is a common strategy used by urban dwellers in their endeavor to pursue sustainable food security. This article analyzed the practice of urban agriculture by urban dwellers in the city of Gweru in Zimbabwe, with a specific focus on Mkoba suburb. This qualitative study sought as its objectives, to discuss factors that have contributed to the growth of urban agriculture; to analyze how urban agriculture contributes to the well-being of urban dwellers; to examine the legal framework governing urban agriculture in Zimbabwe; and, to ascertain challenges faced by urban farmers in pursuit of urban agriculture. Purposive sampling was used and data were gathered from 26 participants through interviews and focus group discussions. The findings were that the growth of urban agriculture is influenced by rapid population growth, high levels of poverty, high food prices, and high rate of unemployment. The study further found that urban agriculture promotes food security, provides employment and encourages savings. The Urban Councils Act Chapter 29:15; Regional Town Planning Act Chapter 29:12; Environmental Management Act Chapter 20:27; Public Health Act Chapter 15:09; Forestry Act Chapter 19:05; and, the Diary Act Chapter 18:08, all have a bearing on urban agriculture. These Acts do not support, but impede the practice of urban agriculture. There are also challenges that impede the practice of urban agriculture, including the absence of supportive legislation, lack of support from central and local governments, and lack of funding. The study concluded that urban agriculture is an important practice that cannot be dispensed with, as strengthens food security of urban dwellers. The study recommends enactment of supportive legislation, provision of small grants to urban farmers, and creation of farmers associations. Future research should focus on ways of improving the livelihoods of urban farmers. Urban farmers and key stakeholders are largely expected to benefit from the study.

Smallholder Agriculture Production in Zimbabwe: A Survey

The study focuses on smallholder agriculture production in Zimbabwe as a pathway for fighting rural poverty and underdevelopment. The entitlement approach was used to analyse the agriculture issues of smallholder farmers. Using questionnaires and interviews to gather household data, the study employed quantitative and qualitative data analysis through spreadsheet and Atlas Ti analysis. The study revealed that smallholder agriculture in Zimbabwe is predominantly staple production, with cash cropping more prevalent in resettlement areas. Poverty remains deeply entrenched in communal areas where land tenure systems, input supply programs, and farmer representations are detrimental to sector development. Revitalising smallholder agriculture would provide pathways of nearly 7 million people in rural Zimbabwe out of poverty. Thus development would need a refocus of policy conditions in communal areas to allow smallholder agriculture growth and development.

The Efficacy of Agriculture-led Development in Zimbabwe: A Theoretical Review

This study looks at the theoretical proposition of an agriculture led development in the post-2000 Zimbabwe. The paper traces the theoretical foundations of development in developing countries and revisit critical role of agriculture in Zimbabwe. By engaging emerging literature on development and envisaging the opportunities being presented by the current development paradigm, the paper posit Zimbabwe's future development as one which should be on agriculture particularly smallholder farmers in cash crops. The rectification of the policy discord in the agriculture sector is the hallmark of this study.

Effect of herbicide application on weed flora under conservation agriculture in Zimbabwe

Increased challenges of weed control in the smallholder farming sector of southern Africa have often resulted in small yields. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different weed control strategies on weed flora and composition under conservation agriculture (CA) systems in Zimbabwe. This study was conducted at three on-station trial sites namely Domboshawa Training Centre (DTC), University of Zimbabwe farm (UZ farm) and Henderson Research Station (HRS) in a maize–soybean rotation for four seasons from 2009–2010 to 2012–2013 seasons. Hand weeding was done whenever weeds were 10 cm tall or 10 cm in circumference for weeds with a stoloniferous growth habit. Weed identification was done up to the weed species level, and the Shannon–Weiner diversity and evenness index was used to determine the response of weed flora to herbicides. Results showed that there were more weeds in the early years which decreased gradually until the final season. Weed species diversity was not affected by herbicide application and the results indicated that weed species diversity was small in CA systems. Annual weed species constituted a greater proportion of species, and species richness decreased with the duration of the study. Richardia scabra L. and Galinsoga parviflora Cav. were the most common dominant weed species at all sites and in all seasons. Moreover, herbicide application had no effect on the evenness of weeds in the plots but site characteristics had a significant effect on the distribution of weed species (weed species evenness). The results presented in this study suggest that herbicide application facilitates a depletion of weed seed bank/number of weeds over time. Thus, herbicide application in CA has potential to reduce weed density, species richness and species diversity in the long term which may lead to more labour savings and larger yields.

Poverty alleviation and enhancing food security through promotion of urban agriculture in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe is becoming increasingly urbanized, and with this accelerating process comes a host of socio-economic challenges. Rapid urbanization process has resulted in increase urban food insecurity and malnutrition, especially on the side of tandem increase in urban poverty. Urban poverty and food shortage are taking root in Zimbabwe, as a result increased food production and access becomes critical to achieving major nutritional improvement and addressing food insecurity. In the face of urban food shortages, the present paradigm of rural food production cannot meet the challenges of the new millennium. It is hardly surprising that increasing umbers of urbanites are looking to grow their own food, if only to supplement their family food needs. Food is one of the basic needs and urban agriculture, both legal and illegal, has grown as a consequence of the difficult economic climate. Many urban households lack adequate amounts of foods that are rich in the nutrients needed for health and a productive life. It is against this background of increasing urban poverty that this discussion puts forward some suggestions for promoting urban agriculture. Urban agriculture has diverse economic, social and ecological functions and can be valued as one of the agricultural sectors having enormous potential to contribute to food security in Zimbabwe. In this discussion the role of urban agriculture in improving nutrition and food security is highlighted. Urban areas are becoming more 'modern' in their patterns of consumption than in their patterns of production, and there is a danger that the urban poor will become more and more marginalized while, at the other extreme, a small increasingly wealthy elite develops. The demand for food due to increased urbanization is predicted to grow faster than production resulting in a growing food deficit and insecurity in urban areas. Strategies which foster gender equality in urban food production will impact positively on food production, which may translate into expanded food production base to meet the needs of the growing urban dwellers, who are failing to make ends meet. This means participation of women in urban agriculture on the understanding that they are custodians of food production in many urban communities is recommended. However, challenges associated with urban agriculture need to be addressed to avoid land degradation and pollution in urban areas. Therefore, urban agriculture should be considered as a normal component of agriculture system and urban development, which has the capacity to improve nutrition and food security, as it lends itself to the majority of the urban poor. Greater and more sustained food production from urban agriculture will increase the potential access of the urban household to an adequate diet. It is envisaged that urban agriculture will be the new approach to satisfying urban food demands, however best provided incentives to urban farmers are credited by formulating policy fair to urban food producers. In the face of this bleak situation, major efforts are required to promote urban agriculture in addressing the nutritional needs and the perpetual food insecurity challenges in urban areas of Zimbabwe. On the other hand, given the economic, social and ecological advantages of urban farming it is arguably deserves even greater attention than before.