What does agriculture look like in Zimbabwe as this present time? Zimbabwe has proven to be an excellent country for agribusiness. The country has good soils and is blessed with a well-developed riverine system. It has a sub-tropical climate moderated by altitude. Its location at the southern hemisphere allows anti-cyclical seasonal production of crops for northern export markets, including Europe. Zimbabwe used to be a major producer, processor and exporter of a wide variety of agricultural products, including tobacco, horticulture and cotton.
Zimbabwe is a sub-tropical country with one rainy season, November to March with an average rainfall of 657 mm/year. It is geographically characterized by an extensive high inland plateau called the Highveld lying above 1,200 m. This plateau drops northwards to the Zambezi basin and similarly but more gradually southward to the Limpopo river through the Mid-veld (600 – 1,200m) and the Low-veld which is below 600m. Zimbabwe is divided into 8 administrative provinces, while the two major urban centers, Harare and Bulawayo are also designated provinces in their own right. The three Mashonaland Provinces (Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West and Mashonaland East) are located on the Highveld and receive good rainfall during the rainy season making them most suitable for agriculture. Masvingo is the most populous province and is partly located in the hotter and dryer Low veld. The Limpopo and Save river systems supply sufficient water for extensive irrigation systems. Also, in the southern region are Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South. Both of these provinces are sparsely populated since they are semi-arid areas as is Midlands province which is a key mining area. Highest rainfall is in Manicaland which also is noted for its beautiful scenery, including several mountain ranges.
Below in a table will explain the Agro-Ecological Zones in Zimbabwe with a map alongside showing where these zones are located:
Agro Ecological Zones | Rainfall per annum in mm | Characteristics and typical farming activities |
Region 1: Low temperatures, high altitude and steep slopes. | > 1,000 | Plantations owned the State through the Forestry Commission and by multinationals and small owner-operated plantations and sawmills. Farming activities: · Dairy farming; · Forestry; · Coffee and tea production; · Deciduous fruits: bananas and apples; · Horticultural crops, such as potatoes, peas and other vegetables; · Open Field Flowers, such as proteas. |
Region 2: High Altitude | 750-1000, fairly reliable | Traditionally large-scale commercial farming, highly mechanized farms of 1 000-2 000 ha under freehold title and owner-operated. Subdivided after 2000 land reforms and less productive. Farming activities: · Flue-cured tobacco, maize, cotton, wheat, soybeans, sorghum, groundnuts, seed maize and burley tobacco; · Irrigated crops like wheat and barley grown in winter; · Intensive livestock production based on pastures and pen-fattening utilizing crop residues and grain. Main livestock production systems include beef, dairy, pig and poultry. |
Region 3: High temperatures, mid altitude | 500 – 750, fairly reliable but mid-season dry spells | Predominant farming system is smallholder agriculture. Large-scale farming accounts for 15 percent of the arable land production, most of the land being used for extensive beef ranching (Roth, 1990): · Smallholder agriculture in the communal farming areas is under relatively intensive cropping systems. · Drought-tolerant crops: maize (staple food crop) and cotton (cash crop); · Semi-intensive livestock farming based on fodder crops. · Suitable for the production of groundnuts and sunflowers as cash crops. |
Region 4: High temperatures, low-lying areas | 450-650 mm, severe dry spells | Unsuitable for dry land cropping: · Small-holder farmers grow drought-tolerant varieties of maize, sorghum, pearl millet (mhunga) and finger millet (rapoko). · Cattle production under extensive production systems and wildlife production. |
Region 5: High temperatures, areas below 900m. | < 650 mm and erratic | To dry for crop production. Suitable for ranching, wild life and game reserves. |
