Zimbabwe is located in southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia. The country’s total land area is 390,757 sq km. In comparison, Zimbabwe is slightly larger than the state of Montana in the U.S., or about the size of Japan. The country’s climate varies from tropical to near temperate based on elevation. Of the total land area, just over eight percent is utilized for cultivated crops, with three-tenths of one percent of the total area dedicated to permanent crops such as fruit- and nut-bearing trees. The nation regularly faces drought conditions and has suffered deforestation and land degradation, along with toxic waste and heavy metals pollution due to inadequate mining practices. Zimbabwe’s population is approximately 12.5 million, with 63 percent of the population living in rural areas. In this landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture occupies approximately 70 percent of the population, with that same number living in poverty. The country faces a number of economic issues. Its involvement in a 1998-2002 war in the DRC drained hundreds of millions from the economy. The government’s land reform program, fraught with chaos and insurgency, has damaged the commercial farming sector, which was once the primary source of exports and the provider of 400,000 jobs. This move turned Zimbabwe into a net food importer. Until early 2009, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe routinely printed money to fund budget deficits, causing hyperinflation. However, the power-sharing government formed in February 2009 has led to some economic improvements, including a stop to hyperinflation by eliminating the Zimbabwe dollar and removing price controls. The economy is registering its first growth in a decade, but will rely on further political change for greater economic advancement. Agricultural products from Zimbabwe include Corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts and livestock. The East and Southern Africa Division is responsible for IFDC activities in Zimbabwe.
Recent IFDC Projects in Zimbabwe
- COMESA Regional Agricultural Inputs Program (COMRAP), 2010-2011
COMRAP responded to rising food prices by increasing agricultural productivity through improved access to finance, training, fertilizer and seeds. Over the course of its implementation, the project targeted three million smallholder farmers in Burundi, Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. COMRAP was implemented by the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA).
DONOR: The European Union Food Facility Program
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Zimbabwe Information
Articles
IFDC Core Competency: Gender Equity is Key to Feeding the Hungry (Taken from IFDC Report Volume 36, No.4)
Over 4,500 Agro-Dealers Trained Through COMRAP Project (Taken from IFDC Report Volume 36, No.2)
New Agro-Dealer Development Project: COMESA Regional Agricultural Inputs Program (COMRAP) (Taken from IFDC Report Volume 35, No.3)