State-led agricultural reform and food security in Zimbabwe: command agriculture and food production in Makoni Rural District, Manicaland
Date
2021
Authors
Matema, Tawanda
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Abstract
State-directed agricultural policy is an essential aspect of promoting agricultural production to achieve food security in the contemporary development discourse and practice. While it featured in the economic growth and development of the industrialized economies and in recent decades, East Asian and Latin American economies, agricultural policy has had little to no impact on agricultural growth in Africa generally but more specifically in Zimbabwe. In this thesis I track the state of agricultural production from 1980 to 2019, demonstrating how land reform policy during this period has negatively impacted the agricultural sector and examine the impact of the command agriculture policy (2016 – 2019) on food production focusing on the Makoni rural district in Manicaland. Utilizing empirical research and findings on production output and the role of the state, I argue that agricultural policy in the country has negative impacts on food production and by extension food security given the command agriculture programme’s failure to deliver on its promise of increased food production, reduced imports and agrarian transformation
Description
A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Development Studies to the Faculty of Humanities, School of Social Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2021