Opinion / Columnist
Land reform plausible
22 Apr 2016 at 07:34hrs | Views
The recent comments made by the Renewal Democrats of Zimbabwe leader, Elton Mangoma, that the land reform embarked by the government at the turn of the millennium is irreversible sounds quite plausible and has shown that some of the opposition members had always been cherishing the government initiative.
This shows that the opposition parties have seen the light and they are calling for the government to start sourcing funds for the next agricultural season.
Mangoma has emphatically called for the government to start sourcing for funds in order for the country to have a bumper harvest in the forthcoming season meaning that he has faith and confidence with the new crop of farmers. As opposed to his former boss Morgan Tsvangirai, Mangoma has now turned into a born again real Zimbabwean who cherishes the land reform.
It should be a lesson to all opposition members who thought that the land reform would be reversed when the opposition MDC comes to power. It has now come apparent that the MDC and its offshoots can never rule this country and reverse the land reform. In fact they should proffer how best we could use the land to regain our position as the bread basket of Africa. It is true and a reality that the government should start sourcing for funds now for the next agricultural season.
Mangoma and the like minded people should start knocking sense to their counter parts and supporters that the land reform is there forever and not reversible. An attentive examination of the existing set of land reform beneficiaries suggests that Zimbabwe's land reform was successful; the internal rate of return to the land reform is high, settlers accumulated substantial amounts of assets and they increased their agricultural productivity over time.
A lot of people have seen light and are now having the vigour to own their own piece of land. The desire for land is evident from numerous testimonies including from people who support opposition parties which have officially opposed the current process. In particular, those who work on the commercial farms often have no land of their own or alternative livelihoods.
Some people from communal areas who generally need land to raise themselves out of poverty, as well as some middle class people from urban areas who wish and have the capabilities to enter commercial farming, have been among those who have obtained access to land for the first time.
It sounds quite plausible for the government to train more people in agricultural extension work so that the land allocated would be productive and fully utilized. Therefore the government should start sourcing for funds for the next season.
This shows that the opposition parties have seen the light and they are calling for the government to start sourcing funds for the next agricultural season.
Mangoma has emphatically called for the government to start sourcing for funds in order for the country to have a bumper harvest in the forthcoming season meaning that he has faith and confidence with the new crop of farmers. As opposed to his former boss Morgan Tsvangirai, Mangoma has now turned into a born again real Zimbabwean who cherishes the land reform.
It should be a lesson to all opposition members who thought that the land reform would be reversed when the opposition MDC comes to power. It has now come apparent that the MDC and its offshoots can never rule this country and reverse the land reform. In fact they should proffer how best we could use the land to regain our position as the bread basket of Africa. It is true and a reality that the government should start sourcing for funds now for the next agricultural season.
Mangoma and the like minded people should start knocking sense to their counter parts and supporters that the land reform is there forever and not reversible. An attentive examination of the existing set of land reform beneficiaries suggests that Zimbabwe's land reform was successful; the internal rate of return to the land reform is high, settlers accumulated substantial amounts of assets and they increased their agricultural productivity over time.
A lot of people have seen light and are now having the vigour to own their own piece of land. The desire for land is evident from numerous testimonies including from people who support opposition parties which have officially opposed the current process. In particular, those who work on the commercial farms often have no land of their own or alternative livelihoods.
Some people from communal areas who generally need land to raise themselves out of poverty, as well as some middle class people from urban areas who wish and have the capabilities to enter commercial farming, have been among those who have obtained access to land for the first time.
It sounds quite plausible for the government to train more people in agricultural extension work so that the land allocated would be productive and fully utilized. Therefore the government should start sourcing for funds for the next season.
Source - Stewart Murewa
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