What’s eating into farmers’ margins? A ZATT perspective.

Taruvinga Magwiroto One of the important aftermaths of the land reform has been the emergence of a new class of farmers, popularly known as “new farmers”, who come from all sections of Zimbabwean society, but often with no prior experience or training in agriculture. Ian Scoones (2014) has argued that since new farmers tend to be younger, ambitious and better connected to urban centres with … Continue reading What’s eating into farmers’ margins? A ZATT perspective.

livestockmattersDecember 15, 2022December 15, 2022Leave a comment

Editorial

Towards 2023 Series 3: Leadership

Taruvinga Magwiroto If life is a journey, then leadership is the most crucial variable in that journey. The influence of leadership in that journey is pervasive: leaders determine the destination, direction and the route of the journey. In the previous instalment, I introduced the ‘God’ metaphor. I said that when we are looking for political leaders, we are looking for God. This is the character … Continue reading Towards 2023 Series 3: Leadership

livestockmattersOctober 28, 2022December 15, 2022Leave a comment

Editorial, Reflection

Towards 2023 2: People’s Aspirations

Taruvinga Magwiroto In this second instalment, I analyse the concept of people’s aspirations as the foundational driver of a national renewal process. But first, I want to frame the context in which people’s aspirations find expression. People’s aspirations find expression in developmental situations, defined as a situation in which people sharing a common environment are engaged in ongoing interactions to define and shape the trajectory … Continue reading Towards 2023 2: People’s Aspirations

livestockmattersOctober 20, 2022December 15, 2022Leave a comment

Editorial, Reflection

Towards 2023: Series 1: What’s at stake?

Taruvinga Magwiroto Today I woke up with the rising sun, savoring each caressing ray of light on my skin, awed at the amazing powers of Mother Nature to command the seasons. Across the paddock, wild nature echoed my spirit – the bouncy exuberant chirping of birds darting around the technicolour explosion of tender msasa foliage heralds the dawn of yet another spring. Another year, another … Continue reading Towards 2023: Series 1: What’s at stake?

livestockmattersOctober 12, 2022October 12, 2022Leave a comment

Editorial, Reflection

Retreat to Vic Falls: The Journey (Part 1)

Taruvinga Magwiroto At around 8 am we pick up the last member of the quartet that make up our travelling party. I am relieved that the contingent is finally complete without so much as a hitch and we can focus on the journey. An odd, fascinating bunch we are – the four of us. Let me introduce you. On the wheel there sits Alan York: … Continue reading Retreat to Vic Falls: The Journey (Part 1)

livestockmattersSeptember 27, 2022September 27, 20221 Comment

Editorial

Sanctionsland: Time to bury Pride on the Altar of Magnanimity

Taruvinga Magwiroto One of the most polarising issues in Zimbabwean agriculture today is ZIDERA, the US law that spells sanctions against Zimbabwe. The existence, magnitude and impact of the sanctions has been so hotly contested that real truth around sanctions lies deeply buried in the debris of spin. The purpose of this article is to try to resurrect the real issues from the debris of … Continue reading Sanctionsland: Time to bury Pride on the Altar of Magnanimity

livestockmattersJuly 30, 2022September 27, 20222 Comments

Editorial

Land owners and farmers: who is who?

Taruvinga Magwiroto I’ve heard it said, several times since I started interacting with the grassroots, that “the tragedy in post land reform Zimbabwe is that the bulk of the people on the land today are not farmers”. I believe this is an assertion worth interrogating. How do we define a farmer? I’ve been grappling with this question for a long time, yet I’m not near … Continue reading Land owners and farmers: who is who?

livestockmattersJune 30, 2022Leave a comment

Editorial

Decamping Ghost Town: journey towards agrarian redemption in Zim agriculture

Taruvinga Magwiroto In much of recent history, Zimbabwe’s agrarian system has been largely shaped by struggles; from the time that one foreign civilization subdued and conquered a native one up to the time that the conquered rose and toppled the former. It is a society that has in fact been shaped by periodic fits of violent revolutions, each period of violence heralding new forms of … Continue reading Decamping Ghost Town: journey towards agrarian redemption in Zim agriculture

livestockmattersApril 25, 2022Leave a comment

Editorial

The generational equation in post land reform Zimbabwe

Taruvinga Magwiroto It is beyond debate that land is the primary source of wealth in Zimbabwe. Not only is agriculture the source of food security and a big employer, it has also been traditionally a major source of raw materials for our manufacturing industry. The close link between agriculture and manufacturing industries in Zimbabwe can be traced back to the Rhodesia sanctions years, when the … Continue reading The generational equation in post land reform Zimbabwe

livestockmattersApril 9, 2022April 9, 2022Leave a comment

Editorial, Reflection

Inovakwa nevene vayo: in search of deeper meaning

Taruvinga Magwiroto I have been enchanted by this catchy phrase ever since I first heard it on the ZATT platform sometime last year. I will try to take apart this phrase, decomposing it into it’s constituent parts, and then try to synthesise a deeper meaning out of it all. The idea of “nation” brings to mind boundaries or borders, a geospatial dimension. A nation is … Continue reading Inovakwa nevene vayo: in search of deeper meaning

livestockmattersJanuary 27, 2022January 27, 2022Leave a comment