Farmers' Perceptions of the constraints against increased crop production in the subsistence communal farming sector of Zimbabwe

This paper examines the problems faced by subsistence farmers in the small-scale communal farming areas of Zimbabwe. During field surveys in two of these areas south of Harare, in 1983 and 1984, samples of farming households were asked to indicate what they considered to be the major obstacles hindering them from increasing their crop production. Five of the most frequently cited constraints are discussed in this paper. These are: (1) the lack of money with which to purchase seasonal agricultural inputs, particularly fertilizers; (2) the lack of basic farming implements, notably the ox-drawn single furrow plough; (3) the lack of draught cattle; (4) inadequate arable land; and (5) inadequate family labour for agricultural work. The magnitude of each of these constraints in terms of the proportions of households affected is discussed using survey data from the two samples of 430 and 371 households in Mhondoro and Save North communal areas respectively.