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Agricultural Product Types and Household Income Contribution in Mhondoro-Mubaira (Zimbabwe)

Received: 14 August 2018     Accepted: 1 September 2018     Published: 21 September 2018
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Abstract

The objective of this research was to examine agricultural product types and their contribution to the household income for communal farmers in Mhondoro-Mubaira area. The study was carried out in the area of Mhondoro-Mubaira, situated in Mashonaland West province of Zimbabwe. The target population samples for the study comprised of communal farmers (N=150) and the extension officers (N=25). According to the results, remittances and gifts (92.66%) are the major contributors of household income for most communal farmers. This is because of the current bad economic situation and frequent droughts. Despite remittances and gifts being the major household income, farmers still perceive farming has very important contributor to their daily sustenance. The study proves that field crops and maize in particular is a strategic crop in Zimbabwe. Maize is not only for household consumption but also for selling. Tobacco is the most important cash crop for the farmers because of good prices and well-established markets. Farmers indicated that open markets are important but because of unscrupulous traders and lack of monitoring and poor regulations, farmers are prone to being cheated and price manipulations. The government and private sector can contribute in formalizing and improving growing of garden crops. The government should improve and invest in non-farm economy which contributes to communal farmer standard of leaving such has roads, electricity, and related infrastructure. This will inherently improve the farm economy and the livelihood status of the communal farmers.

Published in International Journal of Agricultural Economics (Volume 3, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijae.20180304.14
Page(s) 83-88
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2018. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Mashonaland West, Maize, Tobacco, Marketing, Income Contribution, Non-farm Economy, Communal Farmer

References
[1] Glover, D., & Kusterer, K. (2016). Small farmers, big business: contract farming and rural development. Springer.
[2] Meyers, G. P. (2015). Decolonizing a Food System: Freedom Farmers' Market as a Place for Resistance and Analysis. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 5(4), 149-152.
[3] Sojl, Z., Chikwanda, D., Jaja, I. F., Mushonga, B., & Muchenje, V. (2015). Relevance of the formal red meat classification system to the South African informal livestock sector. South African Journal of Animal Science, 45(3), 263-277.
[4] Naziri, D., Rich, K. M., & Bennett, B. (2015). Would a commodity‐based trade approach improve market access for Africa? A case study of the potential of beef exports from communal areas of Namibia. Development Policy Review, 33(2), 195-219.
[5] Mmbengwa, V., Nyhodo, B., Myeki, L., Ngethu, X., & van Schalkwyk, H. (2015). Communal livestock farming in South Africa: Does this farming system create jobs for poverty stricken rural areas?. Sylwan, 159(10), 176-192.
[6] Altieri, M.A., 2018. Agroecology: the science of sustainable agriculture. CRC Press.
[7] Muchesa, E., 2013. Sustainable extension support to land reform beneficiaries in Zimbabwe (Mashonaland West) (Master dissertation, Department of Agriculture Economics, Extension & Rural Development, University of Pretoria).
[8] Samphantharak, K., & Townsend, R. M. (2018). Risk and return in village economies. American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, 10(1), 1-40.
[9] Alobo Loison, S. (2015). Rural livelihood diversification in sub-Saharan Africa: a literature review. The Journal of Development Studies, 51(9), 1125-1138.
[10] Pritchard, R., Ryan, C. M., Grundy, I., & van der Horst, D. (2018). Human Appropriation of Net Primary Productivity and Rural Livelihoods: Findings From Six Villages in Zimbabwe. Ecological Economics, 146, 115-124.
[11] Mashizha, T. M., Monga, M., & Dzvimbo, M. A. (2017). Improving Livelihoods of Resettled Farmers Through Development of a Knowledge Base on Climate Change in Mhondoro–Ngezi District, Zimbabwe. International Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 3(2), 18.
[12] Mavhura, E. (2017). Applying a systems-thinking approach to community resilience analysis using rural livelihoods: The case of Muzarabani district, Zimbabwe. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 25, 248-258.
[13] Scoones, I., Mavedzenge, B., Murimbarimba, F & Sukume, (2017). Tobacco, contract farming, and agrarian change in Zimbabwe. Journal of Agrarian Change. Volume18, Issue1, January 2018, Pages 22-42. https://doi.org/10.1111/joac.12210
[14] Commercial Farmers Union of Zimbabwe Congress., 2016. Commercial Farmers’ Union of Zimbabwe Annual Congress (2016). “Building Agricultural Competitiveness in Zimbabwe” http://www.cfuzim.org/~cfuzimb/images/brochure2016.pdf
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  • APA Style

    Evans Muchesa, Douglas Nkosi, Elliot Zwane, Johan Van Niekerk. (2018). Agricultural Product Types and Household Income Contribution in Mhondoro-Mubaira (Zimbabwe). International Journal of Agricultural Economics, 3(4), 83-88. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijae.20180304.14

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    ACS Style

    Evans Muchesa; Douglas Nkosi; Elliot Zwane; Johan Van Niekerk. Agricultural Product Types and Household Income Contribution in Mhondoro-Mubaira (Zimbabwe). Int. J. Agric. Econ. 2018, 3(4), 83-88. doi: 10.11648/j.ijae.20180304.14

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    AMA Style

    Evans Muchesa, Douglas Nkosi, Elliot Zwane, Johan Van Niekerk. Agricultural Product Types and Household Income Contribution in Mhondoro-Mubaira (Zimbabwe). Int J Agric Econ. 2018;3(4):83-88. doi: 10.11648/j.ijae.20180304.14

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijae.20180304.14,
      author = {Evans Muchesa and Douglas Nkosi and Elliot Zwane and Johan Van Niekerk},
      title = {Agricultural Product Types and Household Income Contribution in Mhondoro-Mubaira (Zimbabwe)},
      journal = {International Journal of Agricultural Economics},
      volume = {3},
      number = {4},
      pages = {83-88},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijae.20180304.14},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijae.20180304.14},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijae.20180304.14},
      abstract = {The objective of this research was to examine agricultural product types and their contribution to the household income for communal farmers in Mhondoro-Mubaira area. The study was carried out in the area of Mhondoro-Mubaira, situated in Mashonaland West province of Zimbabwe. The target population samples for the study comprised of communal farmers (N=150) and the extension officers (N=25). According to the results, remittances and gifts (92.66%) are the major contributors of household income for most communal farmers. This is because of the current bad economic situation and frequent droughts. Despite remittances and gifts being the major household income, farmers still perceive farming has very important contributor to their daily sustenance. The study proves that field crops and maize in particular is a strategic crop in Zimbabwe. Maize is not only for household consumption but also for selling. Tobacco is the most important cash crop for the farmers because of good prices and well-established markets. Farmers indicated that open markets are important but because of unscrupulous traders and lack of monitoring and poor regulations, farmers are prone to being cheated and price manipulations. The government and private sector can contribute in formalizing and improving growing of garden crops. The government should improve and invest in non-farm economy which contributes to communal farmer standard of leaving such has roads, electricity, and related infrastructure. This will inherently improve the farm economy and the livelihood status of the communal farmers.},
     year = {2018}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Agricultural Product Types and Household Income Contribution in Mhondoro-Mubaira (Zimbabwe)
    AU  - Evans Muchesa
    AU  - Douglas Nkosi
    AU  - Elliot Zwane
    AU  - Johan Van Niekerk
    Y1  - 2018/09/21
    PY  - 2018
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijae.20180304.14
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijae.20180304.14
    T2  - International Journal of Agricultural Economics
    JF  - International Journal of Agricultural Economics
    JO  - International Journal of Agricultural Economics
    SP  - 83
    EP  - 88
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2575-3843
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijae.20180304.14
    AB  - The objective of this research was to examine agricultural product types and their contribution to the household income for communal farmers in Mhondoro-Mubaira area. The study was carried out in the area of Mhondoro-Mubaira, situated in Mashonaland West province of Zimbabwe. The target population samples for the study comprised of communal farmers (N=150) and the extension officers (N=25). According to the results, remittances and gifts (92.66%) are the major contributors of household income for most communal farmers. This is because of the current bad economic situation and frequent droughts. Despite remittances and gifts being the major household income, farmers still perceive farming has very important contributor to their daily sustenance. The study proves that field crops and maize in particular is a strategic crop in Zimbabwe. Maize is not only for household consumption but also for selling. Tobacco is the most important cash crop for the farmers because of good prices and well-established markets. Farmers indicated that open markets are important but because of unscrupulous traders and lack of monitoring and poor regulations, farmers are prone to being cheated and price manipulations. The government and private sector can contribute in formalizing and improving growing of garden crops. The government should improve and invest in non-farm economy which contributes to communal farmer standard of leaving such has roads, electricity, and related infrastructure. This will inherently improve the farm economy and the livelihood status of the communal farmers.
    VL  - 3
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Rural Development, and Extension, Bloemfontein, South Africa

  • Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Rural Development, and Extension, Bloemfontein, South Africa

  • Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Rural Development, and Extension, Bloemfontein, South Africa

  • Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Rural Development, and Extension, Bloemfontein, South Africa

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