IN July 2016, against a background of worsening food insecurity caused by a crippling El Nino-induced drought, the Government of Zimbabwe decided to launch the Special Maize Programme for Import Substitution to ensure self-sufficiency in maize production.
So was born what is referred to as the Command Agriculture Programme, a key item on the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim-ASSET). Its adoption and implementation demonstrate political will at the highest level of Government.
Consistent with President Robert Mugabe’s 10-Point Plan for revitalising the country’s economy, Command Agriculture was a bold step taken by the Zimbabwe Government to defend the country’s sovereignty by guaranteeing national food and nutrition security.
The success of the maize programme, on the back of one of the wettest rain seasons on record, has demonstrated that, given the right support in terms of timely inputs and adequate rains, Zimbabwe’s black farmers have the capacity and determination to restore the ‘bread basket’ status of the country without bringing back our erstwhile colonisers in the form of former white commercial farmers now masquerading as investors.
The success of this first phase of Command Agriculture in the 2016/17 cropping season has stopped dead in their tracks hundreds if not thousands of former white farmers who were returning to the country to ‘forge partnerships’ with black farmers who were perceived to have failed.
Even Government had lost confidence, especially in the A2 farmers.
Given the necessary support, A2 farmers have bounced back. Equipping them with skills and knowledge through targeted training will ensure that they fly even higher.
In this article, we examine the main elements for a sustainable turnaround in Zimbabwe’s agricultural fortunes with special reference to Command Agriculture.
What elements will underpin sustainable agricultural production and food security for Zimbabwe?
The celebrated success of the current 2016/17 agricultural season rides on two major factors: High and persistent rainfall throughout the just-ended season and provision of cropping inputs under the Command Agriculture Programme.
Given climate change-induced rainfall variability, there is no guarantee that future seasons will be as wet, hence the need to develop irrigation infrastructure.
The establishment of an Irrigation Development Authority dedicated to spearheading irrigation development demonstrates Government’s commitment to eliminate food insecurity through irrigated agricultural production.
Apart from water resources and financial support, agricultural production requires human capital.
The farmer and his/her workforce make-up the main component of human capital.
Extension agents, bank personnel and input suppliers are also part of the human capital base upon which agricultural production is based.
The competencies of all these different players determine the productivity and sustainability of farm enterprises.
The different players in the production cycle require skills and competencies to efficiently carry out their assigned duties. These can be acquired through technical training and advisory support services by experts.
Universities have a role to play here.
As custodians of the science and practice of agriculture, academics and intellectuals in universities must be mobilised to add value to Command Agriculture through provision of technical and advisory support and infusion of the latest technologies to compliment the over-stretched and resource-constrained AGRITEX Department.
The focus of our recommendations here is on providing training and advisory support to farmers and agricultural extension personnel.
It is informed by the fact that if all resources are availed (finances and inputs), success and profitability of an agricultural enterprise will hinge on the skills, knowledge and competencies of the farmer, his management and staff at farm level.
Where knowledge and skills are limited (a common situation with Zimbabwe’s new farmers), much of the resources will go to waste due to poor management.
In practice, many enthusiastic people who have acquired farmland as part of the Land Reform Programme, have used their immovable properties to guarantee agricultural loans which they have failed to repay resulting in commercial banks auctioning their town properties to recover the debts.
The reasons for this sad development have been largely to do with the limited knowledge, skills and experience of the farmers and poor management of the enterprises by unqualified managers.
The latter, who often are former employees of white farmers, are erroneously assumed to be competent but the truth is that they worked under close supervision and it is common knowledge that their white masters kept secret the essential science behind most farm operations.
Also, while the former white farmers were constantly on the farm to supervise workers, our new black farmers are in full-time employment in the cities, keeping touch with the farm operations via mobile phones.
Those left in charge of farms are usually relatives with little or no knowledge of commercial farm operations.
This situation compromises farm productivity.
It then becomes difficult to service the agricultural bank loans.
And so we have a human factor challenge.
To quote Professor Claud G. Mararike, when he highlighted the importance of competent labour: “Chinorima vanhu; mari hairimi, inoshandiswa kurima.”
Translated this says: “It is humans who undertake agricultural production, not money.”
Money is used for agricultural production.
Some people think once we get finance, things are moving; but the truth is that we must focus on the human factor.
This brings us to the need for training and technical support for farmers.
There are large numbers of tractors and equipment lying idle on farms due to lack of repair.
In most cases, there is no capacity to correctly operate, repair and maintain the equipment.
This reflects the serious shortage of competent trained tractor drivers, farm mechanics and other persons capable of maintaining farm equipment.
A programme to train young people to operate, repair, maintain and provide such services as tillage, planting and application of chemicals would drive Command Agriculture to greater heights.
Currently, tillage is a major impediment for farmers to take up Command Agriculture.
Many tractors and implements lie idle on farms, even as authorities struggle to import more.
Existing equipment could be repaired at minimal cost, saving the country large amounts of foreign exchange.
To plug the leakage of investments on farms, we need to train and impart knowledge and skills to farmers and even the extension personnel.
The universities and colleges, traditionally, are teaching institutions.
They are best placed to tap and transfer relevant technologies and practices to our local farmers since they are repositories of relevant agricultural knowledge and information gathered through their research activities and access to scientific databases on the internet.
The first phase of Command Agriculture had limited engagement with academia, but we think that situation should change drastically.
The Government and the people of Zimbabwe should get dividends from the huge investment in setting up and maintaining the 13 state universities and several research institutions.
Provision of technical support and training to farmers and extension services are roles that universities and agricultural colleges should be seized with all the time.
However there must be formal channels for their participation in providing technical support for Command Agriculture.
The time is now.
We shall further explore the role that Zimbabwe’s institutions of higher learning should play in strengthening the Command Agriculture initiatives.