Draft Power, Draft Exchange And Farmer Organizations

Abstract

Shortage of land and land reform are not the only themes in the current debate, on peasant agriculture in Zimbabwe. A central issue, particularly among agricultural economists is the shortage of draft power. A conventional view has arisen that farmers with cattle produce more crops than those without. This view is empirically grounded and logically persuasive. It fails however, to adequately address the institutional question of organized draft exchange. Arrangements have been devised by communal area farmers to provide access to draft animals, particularly for draft-deficit households. The purpose of this paper is to describe the extent of draft exchange, its institutional forms, and its social and economic consequences.