Godswill Makombe

An analysis of the water management performance of small holder irrigation schemes in Zimbabwe

This paper analyses the water management performance of small holder irrigation systems in Zimbabwe. The government and farmer managed systems are compared in terms of their ability to match desired with actual water supply. Desired supply is defined as crop water requirements adjusted downwards by rainfall where relevant. The Theil measure of accuracy of forecasts is used to calculate the error committed by each system in trying to match water supply and demand. The analysis shows that, everything else being equal, the farmer managed system performs better than the government system in matching supply and demand. This means that the farmer managed systems should be encouraged for future small holder irrigation development in Zimbabwe.

An Economic Evaluation of Smallholder Irrigation Systems in Zimbabwe

Abstract This paper analyses the economic performance of three smallholder irrigation management systems in Zimbabwe; namely the two formal systems, Agritex (government) managed and community (farmer) managed, and the informal bani (dambo, vlei, wetland) management system. The dry land system is compared with the irrigated systems. Production function analysis is used to evaluate production efficiency, the Theil information theoretic measure is used to evaluate inequity in the distribution of benefits from irrigation and the Theil forecast error method is used to evaluate managementperformance.The results show that the farmer-managedcommunity system consistently outperforms the government system in production, distribution and management performance. The results also show that the bani system has potential to contribute positively to future irrigation development. The paper analyses the policy implications of these results and outlines the potential impacts of the policy choices on the welfare of smallhol...

A benefit-cost analysis of smallholder irrigated farms in Zimbabwe

The government of Zimbabwe uses agricultural development as one of the ways to stimulate economic growth. Agriculture in Zimbabwe is characterized by a dual agrarian system comprising the large scale commercial sector and the smallholder communal sector. The communal sector, 47 percent of the country, supports more than 70 percent of the population. One strategy used to improve agricultural performance is the development of agricultural infrastructure. Of the 117, 830 ha developed for irrigation only slightly more than 6 percent is in the communal (smallholder) sector. The smallholder irrigation systems are managed under four different systems, namely the government-managed Agritex, farmer-managed community, the informal bani (dambo) managed by farmers and the ARDA outgrowers managed jointly by a parastatal and farmers. This paper evaluates the benefits and costs associated with these different management systems. Benefit-cost ratios are computed for each system. The bani system achieves higher benefit-cost ratios than the community, which achieves higher ratios than the Agritex management system. This indicates that the government should consider using the community system for developing the potential 93,000 ha of communal smallholder irrigation systems. It should also seriously consider the bani system as an alternative development strategy.

A comparative analysis of the influence of socioeconomic variables on the financial performance of smallholder irrigation systems in Zimbabwe

Abstract This paper evaluates the influence of socioeconomic variables on participating in marketing cooperatives on the financial performance of small holder irrigation systems in Zimbabwe: use of credit, participation in labor groups, master farmer training, literacy, keeping of farm records, participation in savings clubs, and the gender of the plot holder. Three smallholder irrigation management systems namely the government managed Agritex, the farmer managed community, and the informal bani (dambo) are compared. In the Agritex schemes, participating in labor groups is the only variable influencing financial performance. None of the variables studied are important on the community schemes, perhaps because unlike on Agritex schemes, where the government makes production decisions, community scheme farmers make their own decisions. In the bani schemes, marketing cooperatives, credit use, literacy, record keeping, and the gender of the plot holder are significant. The government should consider extending credit, developing sustainable production recommendations, and developing training programs directly applicable to the bani environment. The bani system achieves the most equitable income distribution and is more efficient than both the community and Agritex systems. The government policy of ignoring this system in development efforts directly contradicts the concepts of equity and efficiency.

An Economic Analysis of Small Holder Irrigated Farms in Zimbabwe

Abstract Zimbabwes economy is based on agriculture. The government of Zimbabwe emphasizes the development of the agricultural sector as one of the means to achieve economic development. One of the strategies used for agricultural development is the development of the small holder irrigation sector. The small holder irrigation sector consists of the formal Agritex systems (government-managed), community systems (farmer-managed), and the informal farmer-managed bani (dambo) systems. These three systems are compared for their economic efficiency. The results show that the farmer-managed community system is superior to the government-managed Agritex system, implying that further investment in small holder irrigation development should be directed toward the farmer-managed systems. This analysis also shows that the bani system is a high-potential irrigation systems that could benefit from government investment in generating specific production recommendations for it.