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THE recently released 2012 population census report shows that the biggest number of employed persons in the country are in the agriculture sector, a phenomenon analysts say points to the successful implementation of the land reform programme.
According to the final report of the census released by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat), about five million people are economically active and of that figure 89 percent are employed while 11 percent are jobless.
At least 50 percent of the total figure are employed in the agricultural sector, with 42 percent working as communal farmers or communal farm workers.
The report also touches on the total population distribution in the country between rural and urban areas, where rural areas account for the largest number of people.
At least 61 percent of the country’s total population resides in communal lands, while 33 percent are domiciled in the urban centres.
Administrative centres, growth points and small scale commercial farms account for the remaining five percent of the total population.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture responsible for livestock production Cde Paddy Zhanda said the challenges that remain in the agriculture sector were that of increasing the labour force and production.
“I am not privy to the statistics yet, but I would love to believe they are true. I am sure that agriculture as expected is playing its role of providing employment for the majority of Zimbabweans. In actual fact what I hear is prevailing on the ground is that there is shortage of labour in most farms around the country. So there is still need for us to increase production capacity in the sector so as to attract more labour.
“There are various issues that need to be addressed for us to increase production capacity in agriculture. There are issues to do with finance and access to markets. If people can address those issues then definitely the sector can contribute meaningfully to the mainstream economy. We also need to look at introducing contract farming as a way of increasing markets for players in the agriculture sector,” he said.
Development expert and lecturer in the Department of Development Studies at the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) Mr Enock Musara said the statistics which show the agriculture sector accounting for the highest number of employed people in the country could be explained from two perspectives.
He said the phenomenon was symptomatic of the successful redistribution of land which has seen Zimbabweans over the past decade preferring to settle in communal areas where subsistence farming is their main economic activity.
Mr Musara, however, said the fact that there were more people in rural areas compared to urban centres could also be a result of the country’s industrial situation.
“Given such statistics one may observe that the majority of Zimbabweans have generally found comfort living in communal areas where they carry out subsistence farming as their main economic activity.
“It’s actually a sign that the land reform programme was a success in terms of resettling people and making sure that Zimbabweans have better living conditions. However, what remains to be seen is whether the land re-allocation programme has positively impacted on the macro and micro economics of this country,” he said.
“One also needs to look at industry in the country over the past decade or so, and consider this in explaining this phenomenon. Some people might have decided to relocate and settle in rural areas because there are no jobs in urban centres. However, the land reform programme will still come in as a cushion to the jobless as it provided a place for them to fall back on after migrating from the urban centres.”
Another development analyst, Dr Jephias Matunhu, who is also the chairperson in the Department of Development Studies at the Midlands State University, concurred with Mr Musara pointing out that the latest statistics show how much the land reform programme had succeeded in changing the lives of Zimbabweans.
“I’m sure this shows that more Zimbabweans now have access to land. It is a sign that the land reform programme benefited a significant number of people. The programme achieved a great deal of success.
“Since facts show that majority of our employed people are in the agriculture sector, there is now need to support these people to promote productivity in the sector. Yes people were given land but the grand question is, do those have the capacity to contribute meaningfully to the mainstream economy.
“There is a need for resettled farmers to be supported financially as well as being given technical support such as training to ensure that productivity is enhanced in that sector,” he said.
Dr Matunhu, however, expressed worry at the disparity between the number of women and men who benefited from the land reform, saying something drastic needed to be done to ensure that more women are allocated land.
“What is worrying when we evaluate the land redistribution exercise we will discover that men benefited more than women. More men got land against a paltry 18 percent of women, yet we know that women form a bigger chunk of our total population. Such a disparity needs to be corrected,” said Dr Matunhu.
According to the census report, 65 percent of persons with a disability were employed in the agricultural sector.
The statistics also show that there were more economically active males than females.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter