editorial comment
THAT Zimbabwe is now ranked fourth worst food insecure country in the world is a sad indictment of the country’s leadership, though not a surprising development after two decades of political and policy mash up that has left the once upon a time breadbasket of Africa as a basket case.
The chaos on the land, which began with the so-called fast-track resettlement programme continues to this day with no end in sight, making planning in the use of a key resource uncertain.
Despite the ambitious command agriculture project gobbling billions of dollars since its inception two years ago and the highly-politicised presidential input scheme, the country remains vulnerable, with more than half its population in need of food aid in a third year running.
Surely, for a serious government, this situation needs a rethink.
First, it is important for government to move away from the politics of patronage in the administration of land and the distribution of inputs. Productive farmers can be identified for command farming who will be able to pay for what they got so that it becomes a viable recycling project.
Second, government should expedite the land audit and make sure those who took land for trophies are chucked out and only those with a passion to farm remaining. The country cannot have all its population as farmers, only the able and deserving should pursue farming as a commercial enterprise while the rest pursue other dreams while relying on subsistence farming.
This should also include abandoning the 99-year leases and make the land bankable so that farmers will be able to access bank loans and produce on time. Command agriculture has always availed inputs late, making planning a nightmare for farmers. Offering titles on land will allow beneficiaries to set up irrigation infrastructure and become more productive. Now the laws do not motivate farmers to set up infrastructure.
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Thirdly, due to repeated droughts, government should spearhead a small grains project that will see families turn to drought-resistant crops for subsistence farming. This will improve food production and remove many families from vulnerability, a move that will also allow government to make great savings on food imports. People from the southern region will benefit a lot from small grain farming, while those in ecological regions one, two and three can produce maize.
Since electricity outages have been a threat to irrigation, government can resort to solar energy to power agriculture. Pilot solar irrigation projects by Practical Action, a non-governmental organisation in Gwanda South at Mankonkoni and Selikwe irrigation schemes can be understudied and implemented at national level.
Solar-powered agroecology gardens by Fambidzanai in Matobo district have also proved the viability of solar irrigation to enhance food security. This will be accompanied by aggressive water harvesting techniques to ensure food production is not compromised.
Unless government thinks outside the box, Zimbabwe will continue sinking into abject poverty and food insecurity.
