Rural landlords, rural tenants, and the sharecropping complex in Gokwe, Northwestern Zimbabwe, 1980s-2002

Abstract

This paper will examine the roots of sharecropping in selected Gokwe villages. It seeks to determine at what stage and under what circumstances sharecropping became one of the significant means of accessing factors of production. It will pay particular attention to the parties involved in sharecropping arrangements, i.e., years of settlement in Gokwe, areas of origin; reasons for coming to Gokwe; position in the family cycle; and ethnic background. More specifically , the paper will seek to analyze the division of the harvest, duration of arrangements, purchase of inputs, credit and the dynamics of these factors overtime, especially as more and more in-migrants poured into Gokwe since 1980. The paper will also examine the nature of agreements, verbal or written, and the problems that often arise in the event that one party fails to comply with the terms of the agreement.