Fix the damn dams and other things

31 May, 2015 - 00:05 0 Views

The Sunday Mail

Let me start this contribution with some sad statistics; one of which may later turn out to be a result of one of best policy risks that Zimbabwe has taken since Independence in 1980, one which many other African nations may yet want to pursue depending on what ultimately happens with the Zimbabwe experiment.

It is reported that economic growth in Africa south of the Sahara, has averaged five percent since the turn of the century. During the same period, Zimbabwe’s GDP has reportedly contracted by 50 percent.

Contextually, that is the period Zimbabwe has been executing the Land Reform Programme to empower the country’s marginalised rural population, most of whom hardly benefit directly from employment in industry.

It is also the period when the West and the United States imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe over the same land transgressions.

It has been a very costly experiment in terms of international goodwill.

But it was also a historical imperative without which the country’s liberation struggle would have remained unfulfilled and its independence no more than symbolic. It is an experiment made all the more difficult by corruption among its executors, from abusing inputs such as fuel, seed and machinery to owning more than one farm, none of them fully utilised.

So part of the problem has been within, not all the result of externally imposed sanctions. We can only hope that we have learnt something over the years and be an inspiration to the rest of Africa.

One of the strategic goals of the AU’s Agenda 2063 is to increase food production, processing and marketing on the continent.

It is estimated that Africa has 60 percent of the world’s arable land. Two thirds of its inhabitants make a living directly from farming.

Zimbabwe is one such perfect example where nearly 70 percent of the population lives in rural and communal areas.

They are part of the 300 000 households which benefited from the Land Reform Programme.

It is also reported that small-scale farming has the greatest potential to create the fastest jobs, alleviate poverty and generate incomes for the poor, far more than can be achieved through large-scale commercial farming, much of which tends to be highly mechanised.

That means, resources permitting, or with greater political will, African governments should commit themselves to Agenda 2063 which requires them to invest at least 10 percent of their annual budgets to agriculture to increase productivity.

That money should go into skills training, machinery such tractors and irrigation equipment, seed, fertilisers, storage facilities, dams and environmental awareness campaigns. (It is no idle talk that climate change is for real and we have seen how tobacco farming in Zimbabwe has decimated millions of acres of indigenous tress over the years.)

The need for dam construction and rehabilitation cannot be overemphasised.

Rains have become erratic, causing serious disruptions to food security, which in turn poses a serious national security threat given the high levels of unemployment in most African countries. But more importantly, dams, apart from reducing soil erosion and ensuring a ready supply of fresh water for humans and livestock, they enable people to better use their land than waiting for seasonal rain.

It means people can produce a variety of crops on a rotational basis throughout the year.

Zimbabwe has set the ball rolling with its land reform programme. Much of our industry is dependent on agriculture. It is very possible to reverse the statistics of my opening paragraph. I am not certain exactly how much Government allocates annually to agriculture.

It is, however, a matter that demands political commitment, a priority sacrifice. Zimbabwe should be an inspiration rather an example of how not to empower your people.

That is why the importation of agricultural equipment from Brazil recently presents an opportunity for Zimbabwe to rebuild its agriculture on a fresh slate.

Land is the economy, the economy is land.

President commissioned the new equipment in Harare last week. He said told the delegates that much of the equipment was destined for smallholder communal farmers who had benefited from land reforms.

These had proved more resourceful by producing better than their commercial counterparts despite their limited resources. He stressed the need for the equipment to reach the intended beneficiaries.

He knows what the scourge of corruption and indiscipline has done to the country.

What is however not so evident at the moment is whether Africa is pulling together in this land revolution which should provide the fire for rapid industrialization which the African Union has set itself to achieve.

Africa’s young population needs jobs, and those who have money want to consume. It is would be a waste and a further drag on Africa if it were to continue to be a dumping ground for foreign goods.

Africa cannot rise on the basis of providing a huge market for foreign goods. It is time to move up and increase productivity, value addition and beneficiation. It is time to simultaneously invest in manufacturing and appropriate technologies for our environment.

So far the rest of the world only looks at Africa as a huge market for their products. At more than a billion people, everyone sees a potential buyer. That means serious competition while Africans look for concessions like Agoa for them to export.

It is an approach which is unsustainable and perpetuates a dependency syndrome.

True, Africa cannot be at the same level with those who exploited its people through slavery and followed that with colonial rule to further exploit its natural resources.

But the awareness of that history should be used as a fighting tool. It should be used to challenge neo-colonial exploitation, to fight for better terms of trade, for increased productivity and to get priorities right.

That means Africa must invest wisely in key infrastructure such as energy, manufacturing, agriculture and others while it plays the catch up game.

Foreign official development assistance is slowly drying up while competition for foreign direct investment is hard to come by.

That’s a recipe for social unrest if Africa doesn’t get its priorities right.

 

Joram Nyathi is the Zimpapers Group Political Editor

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