By Brighton Gweshe Since the onset of the new millennium, life has not been the same for the numerous smallholder farmers of Zimbabwe as each month seemed to bring its own fair share of unique hardships. Below I will set out some of the major issues, and the consequences they have wrought. Finally I will highlight some of the strategies that have been employed to … Continue reading Coping with complex change in Zim smallholder farming

Taruvinga Magwiroto Recent media reports of farm evictions and land ownership wrangles have alerted us once again to unresolved issues post land reform. The crux of the matter is security of tenure. Security of tenure must play an important role in agricultural renewal. However, what constitutes “secure” tenure is contested. This is expected, not least because of differences in interpretive filters, interests and aspirations. In … Continue reading Land in Zimbabwe: Use it or lose it, but where lies security?

Taruvinga Magwiroto At first glance, the notion of being Zimbabwean is not a particularly problematic one. However, as a row erupted about the appropriate language to use on the high-level Zimbabwe Agricultural Think Tank, it has alerted us to issues that go beyond agriculture: issues of identity and being Zimbabwean on the land today. This reflective essay seeks to make sense of these collective experiences, … Continue reading Being Zimbabwean on the land: some reflections on ZATT conversations

Taruvinga Magwiroto That Zimbabwe’s agricultural system is in need of renewal is beyond question. However there’s no broad agreement on what constitutes that renewal, nor is there consensus among agricultural practitioners in Zimbabwe on how to achieve such a renewal. This analytical piece is largely informed by the robust interactions and conversations that occur in the Zimbabwe Agricultural Think Tank WhatsApp Group. Many issues have … Continue reading Strategic renewal of Zimbabwe’s agricultural system: emerging issues

Continue reading Rain Season Talk (Shona)

By Taruvinga Magwiroto If you are a netizen (as I am), and interested in rural and international development and innovation, and you are of a Zimbabwean persuasion, chances are that you have heard of the word “Pfumvudza”. To the uninitiated, “Pfumvudza” is a Zimbabwe-specific, highly branded variant of conservation agriculture that has been promoted with variable vigour in many parts of the world since the … Continue reading “Pfumvudza”: Policy, Politics and Production wars.

Taruvinga Magwiroto Land has always held a mystic value to the African. In Zimbabwe in particular, the land has always been the epitome of “nyika yedu”-our nation. But for some time after 1980, agriculture has been losing its lustre, to the extend that whole generations of “born-frees” sneered on the land as the plaything of losers. But, I seem to feel the winds of change … Continue reading This my land: Youth reawakening and agricultural regeneration in Zimbabwe.

Many cattle owners in Zimbabwe have taken a fancy to dehorning. So what are the issues? First, dehorning is best done early on in an animal’s life. If done later on in life, better to do the operation in the cold months to avoid complications with wound management. Even then, it is best to just remove the sharp tips rather than try to remove the … Continue reading Dehorning animals: Issues

Continue reading Dry season blues? Listen to this short video clip (in Shona) on how to conserve water and maximise the scarce resource!