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ISSN: 1573-4377
ORGANIC FARMING IN THE SMALL HOLDER
FARMING SECTOR OF ZIMBABWE
Svotwa, E.1, R. Baipai2 and J. Jiyane3
1. Department of Agricultural Engineering, Chinhoyi University of Technology, P. Bag
7724, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe
2. Farm Manager, Odzi Farming Area, Manicaland, Zimbabwe.
3. Department of Irrigation and Water Engineering, Chinhoyi University of Technology, P.
Bag 7724, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe.
1ezekiasvotwa@yahoo.co.uk, 3jabulanijiyane@yahoo.co.uk
ABSTRACT
Some 20 % (n=246) organic farmers in Juru communal area were interviewed to establish socioeconomic
background, crops grown, problems encountered and the perceived advantages in organic farming.
Farming was the main source of income to 86 % of the organic farmers. Only 57 % considered organic
farming as a cheap strategy, while 50 % and 43 % respectively saw it as inconvenient and disease-free
technique respectively. Problems highlighted included animal manure shortage, slow organic matter
decomposition and high labour requirements. Those implementing organic farming can use the results to
formulate strategies that can improve on adoption of organic agriculture in the smallholder-farming sector.
Keywords: communal area, organic farming, organic manure, smallholder - farming sector
INTRODUCTION
The application of organic material in agriculture has contributed immensely to converting the
poor fragile land of the world into stable productive zones. Many parts of Zimbabwe are arid and
semiarid and these experience recurrent droughts and crop failures. Most farmers in the third
world countries including Zimbabwe pursue farming strategies that require intensive use of
expensive and sometimes unavailable inputs like inorganic fertilisers and herbicides. Use of
chemicals cause soil and water pollution and in Zimbabwe, reports of serious consequences has
been reported in water bodies like Kariba, Chivero and Mutirikwi just to mention a few. There is
Svotwa et al. EJEAFChe, 6 (2), 2007. [1820-1827]
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therefore a tremendous need to for the country to shift its thrust towards adopting and improve on
the use of organic agriculture that is safe, affordable and renewable.
The term organic farming describes systems that work to mimic and optimise natural
processes for the production of agricultural crops (Kuepper 1998). Organic growers utilise a wide
range of cultural practices and natural inputs to manage crops in a manner they consider safe for
the environment and the consumer. Use of synthetic pesticides and standard commercial
fertilisers is minimised or where necessary avoided. Organic farming encompasses adoption of
some common practices and agronomic aspects like crop rotation, composting, use of livestock
manure, cover crops, mulches and green manure.
Organic farming is compatible with rural communities and smallholder farmers who generally
lack capital to buy synthetic pesticides and inorganic fertilisers. Farmers usually use livestock
manure, cover crops and composts for small gardens and plot, which in most cases do not exceed
three hectares. In much of Southern Africa, water is scare and contaminated when found.
Marginal lands are typically short on soil tilth, vegetation, and rainfall. (The African Organic
Farming Foundation 2004).
Although the transformation of soils and vegetation as a result of human use and climatic
events is common to all ecosystems, the drylands, which have low and variable rainfall, are
fragile. A number of areas are experiencing recurrent drought and crop failures. Not
withstanding, the majority of people in rural Southern Africa are conditioned to farming per
Western standards of production, with off-farm inputs often imported at high cost, and water-
intensive crop cultivars not a match for the low-rainfall climates or nutrition needs of local
people. Furthermore, ranching with livestock and farming with chemicals have desertified,
deforested, poisoned and stripped vegetation from the land. Ecologically, there are impacts of
industrial-style farming on groundwater through pesticide and fertilizer runoff (The African
Organic Farming Foundation 2004).
Chemical fertilisers have since been known to have damaging effects on the terrestrial and
aquatic environments. Chemical fertilisers leach into underground water sources and surface
water bodies (Palaniappan 1995), bringing conditions like water hardiness and eutrophication.
This endangers living organisms in the water. Of late inorganic fertilisers have been in short
supply in the country and, when the commodity becomes available on the market the prices are
beyond the reach of small-scale farmers. The country is left with no option except to import
chemical fertilisers in the background of perennial foreign currency shortages. It becomes
imperative to shift our thrust to the use of organic fertilisers that are affordable and renewable.
Organic fertilisers improve the soil by lowering bulk density, reduce soil erosion and
improve soil fertility. Organic matter encourages formation of crumb soil structure thus
improving soil drainage, infiltration and aeration. The dark colours that form with increasing
organic matter content improve soil temperature relations with an effect of boosting important
microbial activities and root development. These fertilisers also take care for the ‘living soil’,
which entails maintaining microbiological life in the soil in balance with the whole ecosystem
without altering soil pH. Since organic fertilisers can be made on the farm, farmers can cut on the
cost of crop production by adopting organic farming. Overally, the reduction in the use of
inorganic fertilisers will reduce contamination of the soil and water environments.
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The objective of the research was to establish the socio-economic background, crops
grown, problems encountered and the perceived advantages in organic farming in Juru communal
area in Mashonaland east province of Zimbabwe. Juru communal area is in Goromonzi district in
Mashonaland East province of Zimbabwe. Goromonzi is in agro-ecological region II of
Zimbabwe. The zone is characterised by an annual rainfall of between 750-1000mm. The area
has an altitude of at least 1000m above the sea level. Temperature ranges from 21-320C, with a
mean of 250C. Frost occurs infrequently in low-lying areas in the months of July to August. Soil
texture ranges from sand to sandy clay. The region is suitable for intensive cropping and
livestock production.
A non-governmental organisation, Fambidzanai Permaculture Institute of Zimbabwe in
encouraging farmers to practice organic agriculture and a total of 246 farmers had already
adopted the technique.
METHOD
A structured survey questionnaire was used to collect data on households and farm details related
to the research objectives. The research was conducted between 30 November 2005 and 31
January 2006. The sample space consisted of 246 organic crop-growing farmers. A non
governmental organisation that is supporting use of organic farming techniques in the area
assisted by providing list of all the organic crop-growing farmers, which was used in this project
to locate the farmers. Fifty farmers were selected to participate in the survey. Before data
collection, a pilot survey to pre-test the questionnaire was conducted on two farmers who were
not on the interview list.
RESULTS AND DISCUSION
Results
Table 1 gives summary information of the farmers in the study area. The majority (79%) of the
farmers was females and 57 % were over 51 years old owning fields less than one hectare in size.
To most the farmers (86%), farming was the main source of income whilst 14% had other
sources. The proportions of farmers who grew various crops for sale, subsistence and other uses
are given in Table 2.
Table 1. Status of organic farmers in Juru Communal area.
PARAMETER
PERCENTAGE (%)
More than 51 years old
57
Between 41 – 50 years old
7
Between 20 – 40 years
36
Field size less than 1 ha
57
Field size between 2 – 3 ha
43
Organic farming as main source of income
86
Other sources as main source income
14
Female farmers
79
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Seventy nine percent (79 %) grew maize and the remaining 21 % grew vegetables. Of the 21 %
vegetable growers, 80 % grew tomatoes whilst 7% grew fruit crops and round nuts.
Thirty six percent (36%) of the farmers expressed the problems they faced in sourcing fertilisers in their
decreasing magnitude as (1) short supply, (2) exorbitant prices (3) late delivery after the critical stages of
crop growth. Equal proportion of 50% of the farmers used kraal manure and, decaying and decayed leaf
matter as fertilisers. Forty three percent (43 %) used compost and 64 % practiced crop rotation. Problems
of high labour demands and inorganic fertiliser burns were equally mentioned by 7% of the farmers. Other
problems encountered were those of livestock herd and slow compost decomposition (Table 3).
Table 2. Crops grown by farmers in the research area.
Tm
Vg
Frt
Hb
Mz
G/nt
R/nt
CP
SP
SF
Sale
86
86
7
29
57
36
14
-
7
-
Subsistence
21
43
-
-
64
57
50
14
14
-
Stock-fed
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
KEY: Tm – tomato, Mz – maize, CP – cow peas, Vg – vegetables, G/nt – Groundnuts, S P – sweet potatoes, R/nt – r ound nuts, SF
– sunflower
Organic techniques of controlling insects were also practiced in Juru. Thirty six percent (36%) of
the participants sprayed crop with solution of lantana camara and comfrey leaves (1:2 ratio) to control
sap-sucking insects in vegetable gardens. Intercropped repellents included onion, pepper and the
Mexican marigold (Tagetes minuta) weed was deliberately left in the field because of its repellent
properties on insects like aphids, red spider mites and leaf eaters.
Table 3. Problems encountered by farmers in organic farming
Problems encountered
Frequency
High labour demands
7%
Fertiliser burns
7%
Slow compost decomposition
21%
Transporting organic manures
14%
Small herd of livestock
29%
Forty four percent (44%) of the interviewed farmers acknowledged improvement in all their
operations due to the adoption of organic farming, with the remainder still in doubt of any success.
Farmers commented that organic farming was a cheap and convenient method of farming, resulting in
reduced crop diseases, Table 4. There were claims of organically produced tomatoes having a shorter
shelf life and poorer outer skin texture, while leaf vegetables were said to have a better preference by
buyers. Other opinions expressed by farmers on organic farming are recorded in Table 4. Twenty nine
percent of the farmers highlighted the problem of the availability of manure due to small livestock heads
owned, Table 3. However, further research is needed to ascertain the farmers’ claims.
Svotwa et al. EJEAFChe, 6 (2), 2007. [1820-1827]
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Table 4. General comments on the success of organic farming.
COMMENTS
FREQUENCY
Results in high quality crops
21%
Increased yields
21%
Herbs are healthy
7%
Cheap means
57%
Convenient to use
50%
No disease
43%
No crop burns
14%
A wide range of yields was realised by those who adopted organic farming and there is also need
for field experiments to ascertain farmers’ claims of improved yield. Farmers stated several problems
associated with the adoption of organic farming as in Table 5.
Table 5. Problems of using organic fertilizers.
PROBLEM
FREQUENCY
No market for herbs
14%
Little technical back-up
14%
High inputs quantities made
21%
High labour requirement
14%
Increased weed cover
21%
Discussions
A high proportion of the organic farmers were elderly people and these were generally regarded as
resource who could not afford to use synthetic pesticides and inorganic fertilisers. Most farmers in the
area earned their livelihood exclusively from farming. With only 1-3 ha of land per household, the overall
farming system to be adopted had to be efficient to maximise crop output per hectare. Any increase in the
rate of adoption of organic agriculture was a step forward in protecting the environment from degradation
and contaminations by agrochemicals used in crop production practices.
A wide variety of crops that were grown in Juru were an indication of the suitability of the area to
crop production. As an area in the Natural region II of Zimbabwe, Juru was part of the prime crop
production zone that had lost the status due to general decline in crop output. An increase in the rate of
adoption of organic farming would bring benefits such as improved retention and availability of soil
nutrients, increase in the population of organisms in the soil, increase in water holding capacity, all of
Svotwa et al. EJEAFChe, 6 (2), 2007. [1820-1827]
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which reduce vulnerability of crops to dry spells. Such improvements can bring back the region to the
breadbasket status that it has long since lost.
Late or lack of availability of inorganic fertilisers has been a problem for several years now. That
has naturally resulted in the late distribution and deliveries of fertilisers to farmers to well after critical crop
stages, thus resulting in low crop output. Cases of poor quality fertilisers of lower nutrient composition
than what was actually on the label have been reported in Zimbabwe. Such factors should assist
proponents of the organic farming technique to win many converts on their side to the benefit of crop
production and environmental protection.
Although organic manure types such as kraal manure, compost and leaf litter could effectively
substitute the inorganic fertilisers, they were seen to be bulky and hence difficult to transport, while their
nutrient composition was not known. Manures are generally known to have a variable nutrient composition
that depends on the class of animal and the weather conditions of the area in which it is stored. Grant
(1981) noted the poor quality of kraal manure in most communal areas due to poor storage conditions,
which expose them to rainfall and heavy leaching.
Communal farmers had small plots of about 1-3 ha and most of them could afford to grow crops
like tomatoes, leaf vegetables and maize for sale. The greater part of their produce in maize, groundnuts
and round nuts were retained for subsistence use. Crops like fruits and sweet potatoes are rarely sold,
while cowpeas was not sold but grown for home consumption. Some farmers grew herbs like lemon
cream, comfrey and rosemary, and these have medicinal properties (Hudson 1995). The success of
organic farming had therefore the potential to create food self-sufficiency in Juru.
The problem of having a small flock of livestock could be a great set back to the success of
organic farming, as cattle are mostly the major source of organic manures in the communal areas of
Zimbabwe. The low livestock numbers could have been caused by the devastating 1991-92 drought that
was estimated to have reduced the cattle herd in the whole of Zimbabwe by more than fifty percent (Ngara
and Rukobo 1992). The government of Zimbabwe and NGOs that were supporting rural development
programmes could aid the success of organic farming by introducing cattle restocking projects, as what
South Eastern Dry Areas Project (SEDAP) once did in the Eastern and South Eastern Districts of the
country (Svotwa 2001). However, most governments of less developed countries are known to be hesitant
in providing adequate support for biological control projects primarily due to myths that biological control is
expensive, difficult to achieve, requires enormous investment and manpower while the chances of
success are remote and highly unpredictable (Blade and Sweetmore 1994).
The problem of slow decomposition of organic residue could be a result of the decline in the
population of microorganisms in the area, due to land degradation. Organic management techniques like
stubble mulch farming and residue incorporation in rows could be helpful in improving the physical,
chemical and biological soil properties, leading to improvement in the rate of organic matter
decomposition. An important factor in organic matter decay is the carbon: nitrogen ratio that is dependent
on the age of the plant material, the species and the part used (Hussein 1989). Therefore farmers need
technical and educational support to assist them in selecting material and techniques that quickly ensure
the benefits of the strategy are realised. Currently the early adopters of organic farming were receiving
technical assistance from Fambidzanai Permaculture Institute
Use of plant species with insecticidal and repellent properties could substantially reduce the
amount of pesticides in the environment and subsequently retard land degradation. However, the volumes
of such biological insecticides required could also be so big that demand for the insecticidal species could
result in its overexploitation. Overally, the organic crop-growing farmers concurred that their success in
organic farming was a result of the training they had received from Permaculture centre. However, a
considerable number of farmers felt there was little progress in organic farming due to reduced visits from
technical staff and the problem solving aspect which demotivates farmers reducing their participation in
organic farming.
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CONCLUSION
Most farmers viewed organic farming as a cheap and convenient means of growing crops. The perceptions shared
by farmers are that organic crops do not spread diseases. The benefits of organic farming were not well
pronounced by farmers, who noted that some of them were not performing so well and that success or progress
deteriorated as farm visits and problem-solving aspects had decreased. However, farmers who confirmed success
in organic farming said they realised good crop quality, yields in leaf crops and improvements in the farming
operations.
Farmers were constrained by having few livestock to create manure for organic farming and conversely that
many farmers used animal manure. Decomposition of material of organic matter was also indicated to be slow
and occurring late. Common problems included inadequate inputs, high labour demand, little technical backup
and no market for herbs.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Overally, organic farming could be successful through increased visits by technical persons, holding workshops
or short courses for farmers and supplying farmers with inputs like seed for organic agriculture. Farmers should
get adequate training on preparation and application of organic top fertiliser. Markets for organic crops should be
opened to encourage farmers to appreciate the benefits of organic farming. The benefits returns from organic
farming should also be quantified for easy comparison with returns from conventional crops. To counteract the
problem of shortage of organic material, the application of organic fertilisers by foliar methods could reduce the
quanties require per unit area, especially during the vegetative phase. More research is also required on the
application rates and amounts to be soaked in water for foliar application. In addition research is needed to
compare efficiencies of organic fertilisers that are developed from different kinds of living organisms.
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