An Analysis of the Role of the Agriculture Sector : Case of Zimbabwe

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The aim of this paper was to analyze the role of the agriculture sector in Zimbabwe. Hence, the types of agricultural products, the different classes of farmers and agricultural regions, the institutions supporting the agricultural sector, challenges faced by the agriculture sector and most importantly the contribution of agriculture to the economy of Zimbabwe were examined. It was found that agriculture in Zimbabwe mainly contributes through employment creation, contribution to GDP, food security, provision of foreign currency and supply of raw materials to other industries. It was found that agriculture used to be the mainstay of Zimbabwean economy more especially in the 1980s and 1990s. However, the trend is reversed in the recent years with the service sector taking center stage. Droughts, climatic change, infrastructural challenges, lack of access to finance, poor farming methods and relying on rain lead to extreme reduction in the Zimbabwean agricultural output to the extent that the country is now a food importer since it can no longer feed itself. The paper recommends that more radical changes in the agricultural sector are needed which includes additional adaptation measures to reduce adverse effects of climate change, huge cash injections into the agriculture sector and improvement of agro related infrastructure as well as education and extension services. The government of Zimbabwe should also direct efforts towards irrigation.

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