Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) Consolidate agrarian reform

Consolidate agrarian reform
Miles Mudziti - Consolidate agrarian reform
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:17:00 +0000

DEAR EDITOR - It is understandable that the parties should begin to move in positioning themselves for elections at the terminus of the coalition. We would pray this does not detract from the collaborative efforts in government which have delivered relative stability, but instead give the electorate a chance to objectively evaluate the ideological leanings that separate the parties.

That is assuming each party has one that is clearly discernible. An urgent priority for the inclusive Government, and the next after it, is perhaps rural poverty which demonetisation has compounded.

Agriculture is a key sector for the recovery of the economy and is a foundation for wider growth, and a necessary condition for overall growth is sustained increase in agricultural production, especially in food crops. This naturally calls for a high proportion of developmental funds to be directed to rural areas for infrastructure, credit, storage, distribution, extension services, research, agricultural implements and production inputs such as fertilizers and improved seed varieties and pesticides.

All available resources are needed sooner rather than later with priority on the agro-industry and smallholder food production.

Humanitarian aid must be focused on the recovery of such producers if the providers of this aid would prefer to lift Zimbabweans. Hence, a new agreement on a constructive and developmental, not dependency approach to aid is necessary.

The land reform programme, both market based prior to 1992 (minda mirefu), and its radical successor, despite the ramifications of the approach, introduced fundamental structural changes which we all agree were necessary and crucial in the fight against rural poverty.

The focus should now be on consolidating the same with concerted developmental efforts to mobilise and build up sustainable production. Lack of access to credit lines, which has severely constrained the Agribank in this exercise has not helped and will continue to hamper recovery efforts.

Agri-business quite clearly hinges on this and we must therefore insist on an impassionate debate on the measures that are sustaining this predicament, whilst exploring and evaluating other alternatives to expedite the revitalisation of this crucial function.

The previous agrarian structure that subsisted in the country was unsustainable, unjust and arguably inefficient with large holdings speculatively underutilized and output per acre lower than on smallholdings. To reduce rural poverty in the long term, and increase food production in the short to medium, consolidating agrarian reform and promotion of new farmers' organisations are priority issues.

Land tenure must be dealt with. In fact, one might even say this is an 'outstanding issue' of national significance. These reforms will enable large masses of people to participate more fully in the socioeconomic realm.

It would perhaps be pragmatic and sensible policy to accommodate willing former landowners on smaller holdings, alongside their new counterparts as quite clearly it would be unwise not to tap into their expertise.

Such a policy also has the added advantage of helping to establish new and sustainable property relations in the sector. Such individuals can and must be rehabilitated thus, and it must be seen to be done.

It will quite clearly take time for people to get into the game fully, but the foundations are there and they must be built upon . We have fed the region and beyond and it can still be done again - what man has done before, he is simply quite capable of doing again.

The urban suave must not suffer collective amnesia in forgetting the rural peasant who, with their support, has largely kept them fed in the cities before and is quite capable of doing it again. Farmers, new and old, must be given the opportunity, space and means to readjust.

Miles Mudzviti

Labels: AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM

posted by MrK @ 5:23 AM