Farm management characteristics of communal farms in Zimbabwe: implications for household food security

A research paper on the characteristics of rural smallholder farmlands in Zimbabwe and their implication to national food security.Nearly three of every five persons in Zimbabwe live and derive their livelihood on farms in the communal farming areas. In other words, 50 percent more people live in communal farming areas in Zimbabwe than in all the rest of the country. The incomes earned by these people, the source of their incomes and the opportunities for improvement are the very heart of national economic and social debates. The total value of production from the Communal Farming Lands increased from just under $146 million in 1980 to $719 520 million in 1988. A major part of this was due to price changes but the significant growth was in the value of sales rather than in production for own consumption. The latter figure increased by 215 percent while the value of sales rose by 1100 percent from $28 692 million in 1980 to $344 413 million in 1988. This, in the cash economy, serves as the engine of development for the communal sector.The project is funded by USAID (Southern Africa Regional Programme)