Living off dying land
Date: 2 August 2004
Source: Zim Online (SA)
Author: Anon
Harare - Columns of smoke smudge the sky above a newly resettled farm, outside Harare, coal black. Farmer Denis Kambwe says he's burning grass because it flushes terrified wild game out into the open. He's stoking a fire as he talks. Every now and then sparks flash as fat drips - from the liver and kidneys of a kudu roasting above - onto the flames. 'At least now we'll have sadza with meat for several days,' smiles Kambwe. He then walks over to the carcass and begins skinning the buck while his dogs, lying nearby, salivate. Asked if he is aware of the rapid depletion of the game on his farm, he nods. 'But remember,' he says, 'this land belongs to me now.' A self-described war veteran, Kambwe says he 'grabbed' the property four years ago from its then owner John Bata. Aside from a change in ownership, the land has undergone a physical metamorphosis too. Once lush and fertile, the farm now lies derelict. Kambwe complains it's the government's fault, because the authorities never provided the necessary capital to buy agricultural inputs and machinery. As a result, Kambwe argues, he is justified in hunting the animals because he needs meat. While cautiously cutting-up a kudu kidney, he says that's 'okay' because the farm's creatures are his property too. The hunting and poaching of wild animals on recently re-settled farms has risen as beef prices climbed, caused by the shrinking of the national herd. 'I cannot afford to buy beef and, thank God, on this farm there's plenty,' mumbles Kambwe as he chews.
Visits by ZimOnline to properties in several provinces - including Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West and Manicaland - reveal that dozens of new A2 (or commercial) farmers are not cultivating the land allocated to them. A number of small- and medium-sized commercial farms, given to black farmers under Zimbabwe's fast-track land redistribution programme, are lying fallow. While Kambwe seems to be in good health, the same cannot be said for his farm. The property is clearly neglected and grass covers fields that once bore crops. The few visible implements and machinery are either broken, or derelict. Cleopas Mandebvu, acting director of the predominantly black Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers' Union (ZCFU), says his organisation is concerned about vast tracks of land lying idle: "We are lobbying government and are busy compiling a report, based on our own findings, with the aim of correcting the situation.' His organisation wants Zimbabwe to be the breadbasket of Southern Africa again. Mandebvu attributes land being neglected, or lying fallow, to plots being given to new farmers without their being 'genuinely interested' in farming. He adds they probably went into farming primarily to earn some of the 'prestige associated with being a commercial farmer".
Near Turnpike farm, more than 50 km south west of the capital, 60-year-old Zini Daudi sells firewood along the main highway. Dressed in gumboots and overalls Daudi resembles a farmer, although he spends most of his time selling firewood. When one driver brakes and rolls down his window Daudi jogs to the car and asks him, jokingly, how many tonnes of firewood he needs. He then points to the farm, explains it belongs to him and promises to deliver wood. Daudi tells ZimOnline he knows he should be busy preparing the soil ahead of the rainy season. When asked why he's selling wood, he says he needs to raise capital to buy fertilizer, among other things. 'Agricultural inputs are expensive. Selling firewood can help me earn money.' When asked whether he received a loan from the state-owned Agricultural Bank of Zimbabwe (Agribank) last season, he nods. And the money? Daudi stares at the pile of wood at his feet and then stammers he bought a car which is now 'a write-off.'
Agribank runs a Z$60 billion (US$ 12 million at unofficial exchange rate) loan facility to assist new farmers under the land reform programme. But all is not well at the bank either. It recently initiated criminal proceedings against bank staff involved in mismanaging the facility. Some have already been axed at the instigation of the Reserve Bank, which unravelled a total of 186 fraud cases at the institution. Agribank chief executive officer Sam Malaba admitted to The Financial Gazette some workers had been advancing loans to undeserving applicants. About a year ago a land review committee, set up by President Robertt Mugabe, submitted a report examining the allocation of land through the government's reform programme. It stated that 1,672 farms (or about 2.1 million hectares) had been handed over to more than 7-and-a-half thousand applicants under the A2 scheme. But now Sam Moyo, the former head of the committee's technical unit, concedes some new farmers are 'failing to utilise farms'. Some who applied did not have the required resources, although they had falsely claimed they did. "They lack the capacity to operate because they do not have the basics, like tractors and harvesters,' says Moyo. 'Many farmers have failed to obtain money to capitalise on their activities, while a substantial number only managed to get small amounts." Meanwhile high inflation of 400 % has increased the price of inputs beyond the reach of the new farmers and interest rates have made it prohibitive to borrow. 'This, coupled with their lack of the requisite skills for specialized farming, has compounded the problem', notes Moyo. He warns it may take 'a while' for them to acquire the know-how. Until they have the necessary inputs, and skills, farmers like Denis Kambwe will continue simply living off their land, and 'their' animals.