X-From_: tgray  Mon Dec 14 10:43:12 1992
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Date:         Mon, 14 Dec 1992 10:43:14 PST
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From:         Tom Gray <tgray@IGC.APC.ORG>
Subject:      ZIMBABWE: LACK OF DRAUGHT POWER CRI

/* Written 12:04 am  Dec  4, 1992 by newsdesk@igc.apc.org in igc:ips.englibrary
*/
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Reference: Agriculture
Title: ZIMBABWE: LACK OF DRAUGHT POWER CRIPPLES PEASANT FARMING


an inter press service feature

by gumisai mutume

kariba, zimbabwe, dec 1 (ips)-- the first rains have fallen but
maron kapandura can only sit and watch her untilled land, hoping
that the government tillage unit arrives in time for her to
catch the planting season.

''since last month we have been told that the tractors are
coming and we have waited patiently in our fields. but time is
running out,'' says kapandura, a peasant farmer in omay communal
lands, more than 500 km north west of the capital,harare.

the long-awaited tractors are part of a government measure to
assist about 800,000 communal farmers throughout zimbabwe who,
because of the current drought, have lost their main source of
draught power, cattle.

''the idea (of providing tractors) is to try and revitalise
the agricultural sector of the country back to it's status of
being africa's breadbasket,'' says joseph msika, minister of
local government, rural and urban development.

he says government needs 4,000 tractors to plough 1.6 million
ha set as this season's target by communal farmers if the
country is to recover from the drought. however, the government
says to date it has only 284 serviceable tractors.

the plight of peasant farmers like kapandura in this hot,
remote, semi-arid communal land is made worse by the fact that
unlike their counterparts across zimbabwe, they cannot rear
cattle.

''here, cows are at the mercy of tsetse fly because we live
just next to a game park. it is illegal to keep cattle,'' says
kapandura.

deputy head of the department of tsetse and trypanosomiasis
( sleeping sickness) control, william shereni, says tsetse
infection is spread over 24,000 square kilometres along the
northern border with zambia and mozambique.

the disease kills cows and causes sleeping sickness in
humans.

currently, a regional programme involving malawi, mozambique
zambia and zimbabwe, funded by the european community is underway
to clear the area of tsetse fly.

''in the process of clearing an area we discourage any cattle
activity, although local authorities have the final say on
whether to allow cattle rearing or not,'' says shereni.
(more/ips)


zimbabwe: lack (2)

although the government agricultural recovery programme,
dubbed ''operation green revolution'', was launched in september
and has provided 28 tractors to this area, more than half of
these are no longer operational.

spare parts and technical know-how among the locals are the
main problem and now seeds and pesticides distributed to
peasants by the government at a cost 40 million dollars lie
unused.

however, due to the increasing problems hitting the tillage
units, the zimbabwe farmers union, a peasant farmers
representative organisation, has called on it's members to
forego the government programme.

instead, the union is urging communal farmers to plant
directly into the ground without ploughing, a practice known as
''zero tillage''.

the practice is gaining popularity among an increasing number
of farmers committed to conservation tillage who do not see the
lack of oxen as a drawback.

richard winkfield, director of the agricultural research
trust farm in harare says constant ploughing is doing immense
harm to the soil because it exposes the soil to heat and
rainfall leading to erosion, compaction and accelerated run-off.

''but we have practised this so-called zero tillage for some
time now without much success,'' argues mutiba jeketera, a local
farmer here.

kapandura says its now too late for her and her three
daughters to plough their two ha of hard land before the
planting season ends.

communal farmers, still relegated to about 75 percent of the
least productive land from the colonial era, are this season
expected to produce the bulk of the staple maize crop.

but with the problems that have hit ''operation green
revolution'' the commercial grain producers association predicts
a defict this harvest.

the association forecasts that only 615 000 tonnes of maize
will be delivered to the grain marketing board this season, 385
000 tonnes less than the 1,3 million tonnes the country needs.

''with the way things are going, i foresee a situation in
which we will depend on drought-relief food again next year,''
says kapandura. (end/ips/gm/tvh/92)


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Tom Gray (tgray@igc.apc.org)
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU