ZQMS-ARC-REC-002

REGION: MATEBELELAND NORTH SEMESTER: 2.2 YEAR 2022

PROGRAMME Bachelor Of Science Honours In Development Studies (BSCHDS) INTAK E: 20

FULL NAME OF STUDEN T: SVOSVE MATRON PIN: P2074241X

EMAIL ADDRESS: shantymetty88@gmail.com

CONTACT TELEPHONE/CELL: 0773433148 ID. NO.: 23-068706 E 23

COURSE NAME: AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENTCOURSE CODE: BSDS205

ASSIGNMENT NO. e.g. 1 or 2: 1 STUDENT’S SIGNATURE sm

DUE DATE: 07 MAR 2022 SUBMISSION DATE: 07MAR 2022

ASSIGNMENT TITLE: They have been farming for centuries, but they have been poor for centuries
as well. In light of the rural communal farmers, discuss how you may use agriculture as a lever for
poverty reduction in your country.

Instructions

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from another student.
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other people.

MARK ER’S COMMEN TS:

OVERALL MARK: MARK ER’S NAME: MARK

ER’S
SIGNATURE: DATE: _______________________________________
Issue Date: 3 October 2013 Revision 0
Agriculture refers to the science and art of producing crops and livestock for economic purposes
by combining the free gifts of nature namely, land, light, air and temperature also rainwater into
integrated productive unit to cause the land to produce food, fodder and industrial materials,
(Food and Agriculture Organization).

The primary objective is the optimum utilization of the gifts of the nature to meet the basic needs
of human beings and their civilization by providing food clothing, shelter, medicines and
recreation. Hence agriculture is the most important enterprise in the world.

According to (Todaro, 1981), SARDCQ (2004) defines rural development as a positive

advancement of people in rural institution and systems expansion of rural infrastructure and
growth in rural economic activities for better rural life.

Rural farming are farming for development also, it is essentially focuses on action for
development of areas outside the mainstream urban economic system. Rural development is the
process of improving the quality of life and economic well-being of people living in rural.

A lever for poverty reduction is the tool to fight poverty or to reduce poverty in a country.

Introduction:

Agriculture has traditionally been characterized as the ministry of most developing economies
with country like Zimbabwe it is a developing country which is not industrialized country whose
development is heavily dependent on agriculture. These nations have low rate of literacy, high
rate of unemployment, high poverty rate. These countries are mostly based on agriculture
production and primary product exports. The advantages and disadvantages on how developing
country like Zimbabwe may use agriculture as lever for poverty reduction.

Firstly, changes in global production networks and increased urbanization have changed the
character of rural areas. These developments have induced rethink of what type of rural
development is needed because modernization of villages leads to urbanization and the village
environment disappears. Increasingly tourism and recreation have replaced resources extraction
and agriculture as dominant economic drivers. The need for rural communities to approach
development from wider perspective has created more focus on broad range of development
goals rather than merely creating incentives for agriculture or resource based business.
The traditional approach failed to acknowledge the reality that most populations in developing
world are located in rural areas (60%-70% according to Dalman 2015) participation in rural
development was the key to archiving the desired patterns of development in these areas. Local
populations can also bring endogenous grassroots initiatives for development, the outsider may
not understand the setting culture, language, and other things prevalent in the local area.

As such rural communal people themselves must participate in their sustainable rural
development. The main example in practicing land reform programmes, whereby farm structure
and land tenure patterns must be adapted to dual objectives of increase food production and
promoting a wider distribution of the benefits of agrarian progress.

Agriculture can be used as a tool for reducing poverty in Zimbabwe, rural industrialization is
the key to integration of rural economies into global value chains. It can only be driven primarily
by government through government initiated programs like the Government Rural
Industrialization programs (Motoko Horticulture Project’s, Matabeleland Marula Projects, and
Presidential Rural Development Program) anchored on value addition and beneficiation for local
and local export markets, assisted by the private sector investments in the agriculture (e.g., Green
fuels, Triangle, Tanganda Tea Estates) and mining sectors.

Natural resoures management for sustainable livelihoods and environmental sustainability-

sustainable agriculture sector development that balance enhancement of agriculture productivity
with environment sustainability to protect the natural resources to improve the livelihoods of
rural communities through community based natural resources management (CBNRM)
initiatives. For a country like Zimbabwe, it is imperative to use agriculture as a lever for poverty
reduction.

Addressing gender based inequalities, there can be no meaningful and sustainable

development when the interest needs, concerns and contribution of some groups including
women. There should be having gender mainstreaming in all sector especially in agriculture
development goals, planes process and structures. In the context of developing countries, gender
gaps in developing and all spheres of life are most pronounced in rural areas. Addressing gender
based inequalities is therefore a precondition to equitable rural development that leaves no one
behind.
Integrating the objective of rural and urban development, to ensure balanced development
and build on the positive dynamics of rural urban linkages. There should be a strong relationship
between the two to fight for poverty reduction in a country. By so doing it helps for rural
communal farmers to work together in agriculture production.

Infrastructure development and provision: development of rural infrastructure including road,

rail networks and transport telecommunication system. Building of schools for people in the
community to gain education and sustain their living standard. Also building of clinics in an area
to protect people in the society from health sector development and fighting of diseases like
cholera and other communicable diseases.

Working on roads and telecommunication system, this may help in terms of transport and
communication in business from one place to another. Transporting of goods and services which
may be used in agriculture production might become easy to transport them. The transmission of
networking conditions may become easier to the producers and manufactures to communicate in
terms of business. The country should working on both of these infrastructures to fight for
poverty reduction.

Modernization and mechanization of agriculture towards agriculture sector development

and agriculture sector driven industrialization. This involves leveraging agriculture research,
development adoption of new agriculture technology and innovations to transform the
agriculture sector into a modern sector characterized by high levels of productivity, increased
agricultural output cost efficiency environmental sustainability, value addition and beneficiation
in the processing sector and profitability for the producers.

Local participation: incentives for mobilizing the rural communities induce locally produced
economic development strategies. This involves both top down actions to mobiles communities,
along with bottom up actions to identify local priorities in the line the “nothing about us without
us.” It is also entails equipping rural communities with the agriculture, business and
entrepreneurial skills by the government NGOs and partner organizations. Participate is very
important to people it helps everyone to become a full member in agricultural sector. Also
private sector is needed in country like Zimbabwe such that all operations must be done
promptly without delaying with money or any other challenge.
In light of rural communal area, agriculture is a leaver for reduction of poverty in Zimbabwe.
Poverty reduction, in view of the reality that 60-70% of developing countries population live in
rural areas agricultural sector development is the single most significant strategy in addressing
the problems of poverty in countries. Agriculture helps people in communal rural areas through
increasing of knowledge on how to farm that may bring out a bumper harvest to many people.

Moreover, employment creation in agricultural sector, farm work made up 25% of the national
formal labour force constituting 11-18% of the population in the 90s. In addition to direct
employment agriculture contributes to indirect employment creation in the agricultural value
chain, particularly in manufacturing sectors due to the backward and forward integration
between the agricultural and industrial sectors.

Source of foreign currency- The tobacco and cotton cash crops exports along with beef and
horticulture, and contributed 40% of the country’s foreign currency earnings in the 1990s. In
recent years mining and tobacco exports are the country’s major foreign currency earners due to
the decline in the manufacturing sector. Foreign currency is the engine of the country it helps to
the rural economy to open opportunities for better living standards, also as a source of income to
reduce poverty and hunger to people.

Providing a market for the products of the industrial sector – the agricultural sector is the largest
consumer of industrial is by far the largest consumer of industrial products and services such as
fertilizers, agro chemicals, seed agricultural implements and machinery electronic gadgets
processed food products and others. This may become easier to the famers when they are
preparing for farming especially in rural communal farming people may not struggling looking
for inputs because they will be always available.

GDP growth- agricultural sector in Zimbabwe constituted 15% of Growth Domestic Product in
the 1990s at its peak. Agriculture is the critical to achieving global poverty reduction targets and
it is still the single most important productive sector in most low income countries often in terms
of its share of Gross Domestic Products and always in terms of the number of people it employs
(IDA,2009). Hence the ability of agriculture to generate overall GDP growth and its competitive
advantage in reducing poverty will vary from country to country (FAO, 2012).
Another example of agriculture as a lever for poverty reduction is on TIMMER (2005) noted part
of controversy of the role of agriculture in development stems from the fact that structural
transformation is a general equilibrium process that cannot be explained by looking at agriculture
alone

The issue of how and under what conditions agriculture is a driving force of rural growth has
received scant attention or has given mixed messages including in the position of major
multilateral financing institution (ANIRIQUEZ et al, 2003). Therefore, this research was
designed to fill the existing research gap by providing empirical information on agriculture
economic growth nexus and its implication for poverty reduction.

However, agriculture is not always a panacea for economic development and poverty reduction.
A country which relies on agriculture export can be adversely affected by global economic
shocks (CUONG, 2009). Agricultures contribution to poverty reduction is sometimes thought to
be small, because its relative economic importance usually falls when low income countries
successfully develop and this view is misleading (DFID, 2005).

In conclusion, they have been farming for centuries, but they have been poor for centuries as
well. Rural communal farmers in Zimbabwe may use agriculture as a lever for poverty reduction
that may help many people in rural communal to have strong growth linkages, comparative
advantages in trade, higher agricultural productivity, gain knowledge and become successful in
agriculture sector.
Referances:

(ANIRIQUEZ et al 2003) posits that, this research was designed to fill the existing research gap.

Beef and horticulture contributed 40 %( 1990s).

(CUONCI, 2009) posits that, Agriculture is not always a panacea for development reduction.

(DFID, 2005) low income countries successfully develop

(FAO, 2012) says that the advantages in reducing poverty will vary from country to country.

(GDP 1990s) constituted 15% at its peak.

Dalman (2015) says that, 60%-70% participation in rural development was the key to action.

(IDA-2009) in terms of share of GDP.

(Todaro, 1981) defines rural development of people in rural constitution.

TIMMER (2005) defines agriculture as a lever for poverty production.