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Background
Zimbabwe’s protracted socio-economic crisis has taken its toll on the country’s agricultural sector, hitting the country’s poorest farmers the hardest.
About 70 percent of the population makes a living from agriculture. However, steep declines in production over the years – brought on by high costs and a shortage of inputs, adverse weather conditions and policy constraints – have seen farmers’ earnings dwindle and food insecurity rise.
Inflation – which reached record highs in 2008 – made it difficult for many to buy even the most basic commodities. In December 2008, local maize prices in the capital, Harare, were more than eight times their levels than in the previous December.
After years of decline, maize production up
After a record low harvest in 2008, production of the main staple, maize, is expected to increase by 130 percent in 2009 thanks in part to good rainfall. Total cereal production is expected to more than double this year over last, meeting almost two-thirds of the nation’s consumption requirements.
Prior to this, maize production had been in steady decline. Pricing policies provided little incentive for impoverished farmers to plant, let alone invest in infrastructure.
Commercial farms are producing just one-tenth of what they produced in the 1990s, due in part to land reform policies, while communal farms, which once grew the bulk of the country’s maize, are only producing about one-quarter of the typical output some years ago.
Although maize production is up, forecasts for the winter wheat crop are grim, owing largely to the high cost of quality seeds and fertilizers, farmers’ lack of financial liquidity and uncertainty surrounding the supply of electricity for irrigation.
Policy changes
The annual rate of inflation has since dropped to zero following the government’s decision in March 2009 to adopt the South African rand and the US dollar over the local currency.
Grain markets have also been liberalized, helping to make cereals more available on local markets. By May 2009, the retail price of maize in most major cities had dropped by 83 percent from its 2008 high.
But food and input prices remain high for many households, especially for those with little access to foreign currency, and many people have begun selling assets to buy food. According to a recent FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment, an estimated 2.8 million people in rural and urban areas may be in need of external food assistance during the 2009/2010 marketing year.
FAO Response
European Union Food Facility
FAO launched an 18-month project in May 2009 through the EU Food Facility to provide agricultural inputs to Zimbabwe’s small-scale communal farmers in an effort to boost cereal production and livelihood prospects.
With funds from the European Union worth over € 15 million, 176 000 vulnerable rural farmers – about 10-15 percent of the country’s communal farmers – will receive seeds and fertilizer packs in October and November this year, in time for the planting season.
Through extension services, farmers will be trained in the timely planting of crops, proper spacing and weeding techniques and application of fertilizers.
By cultivating 0.5 hectares of land, each household is expected to produce between 300-600 kg of cereal grain, which is the equivalent of about five to ten months of food for a family of six.
FAO will continue to play a coordinating role among other stakeholders engaged in agricultural relief projects in Zimbabwe to ensure a harmonized approach and effective use of resources.
FAO will also scale up monitoring activities to provide crop status and crop estimate information in order to gain a better understanding of the country’s food security situation.
Other FAO activities
FAO and World Food Programme (WFP) carried out two Crop and Food Supply Assessment Missions to Zimbabwe – one in 2008 and one in 2009 –to gauge the severity of the crisis. A European Commission-funded rapid assessment was carried out in September/October of 2008.
FAO has a number of programmes aimed at improving food security of rural farmers, including: - supply of basic agricultural inputs to vulnerable farming households
- promotion of intensification and improvement of farm management practices, including Conservation Agriculture
- training in processing and marketing of agricultural products for livelihoods support
- monitoring of food supply and price information
- awareness and prevention of animal diseases, including vaccination of livestock
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