Coping with economic stractural adjustment: farmer groups in Shamva District

Abstract

Smallholder agriculture in Zimbabwe stands out as one of the few success stories in sub-Saharan Africa. In the first five years after Independence, Zimbabwe's smallholder farmers increased their production of maize, the country's staple crop, from 8% to over 60% of national production (Rhorbach, 1988). Similarly, smallholder production of cotton, the country's second leading agricultural export behind tobacco, rose from less than 3% to over 50% of national production (Mariga, 1994). The success of Zimbabwe's smallholder producers was partly due to state policies aggressively promoting smallholder agricultural development during the 1980s (Rukuni, 1994; Eicher, 1990).