Peasant Farmers: The Only Bedrock of Zimbabwe’s 2030 Middle-Income Vision

 By Dr Last Mazambani

Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 lays out an ambitious roadmap of transforming the country into a middle-income economy within the next decade. It is a vision that speaks to a nation yearning for prosperity, better livelihoods, and equitable development. Yet, beneath the fanfare of policy documents and political speeches lies a glaring paradox: any middle-income aspiration that excludes the empowerment of peasant farmers, who constitute roughly 70% of Zimbabwe’s population, is an illusion. Without a strategic focus on communal agriculture, Vision 2030 risks becoming nothing more than sloganeering, hot air, and empty promises.

Why Communal Farmers Matter

Agriculture is the backbone of Zimbabwe’s economy. While commercial farmers, agribusinesses, and urban enterprises play their role, it is the peasant farmer—tilling small plots with rudimentary tools—who forms the heart of rural livelihoods. These communal farmers not only provide household sustenance but also contribute significantly to national food security. When rains are good and inputs are available, they produce maize, groundnuts, sorghum, and other staples that feed millions.

Yet, these farmers are often marginalized in national economic planning. Access to credit, modern farming technologies, irrigation facilities, and structured markets remains limited. They bear the brunt of climate shocks, endure exploitative middlemen, and often sell their produce at sub-economic prices. To dream of a middle-income economy while 70% of the population remains trapped in subsistence poverty is to chase a mirage.

Vision 2030: Ambition vs. Reality

The government’s blueprint aims to raise per capita income, industrialize the economy, and improve service delivery by 2030. Indicators of a middle-income economy include increased GDP per capita, reduced poverty, expanded infrastructure, and diversified exports. But economic progress cannot be built on a foundation of inequality.

If the bulk of the population is excluded from empowerment, the result will be a dual economy—urban centers may record growth, but rural communities will stagnate in chronic poverty. This inequality undermines national cohesion and ultimately drags down the country’s aggregate progress. Vision 2030 must be more than an elite project; it should be a collective mission. And that collective mission begins with the rural farmer.

The Missed Transformation: Agriculture Without Empowerment

Zimbabwe’s history offers lessons. In the 1980s, agricultural support programs such as credit schemes, extension services, and input subsidies helped boost smallholder productivity. The communal areas became engines of maize and cotton production. However, decades of economic decline, poor governance, and recurrent droughts eroded those gains. Today, smallholder farmers face the same struggles as their grandparents: lack of inputs, inadequate irrigation, poor market linkages, and weak rural infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Vision 2030 speeches emphasize industrialization, urban growth, and mega projects. While these are necessary, sidelining the rural majority is a strategic misstep. Without formidable work and dedicated resources targeting peasant agriculture, Vision 2030 will remain aspirational rather than transformational.

Key Areas for Action

To integrate communal farmers into the Vision 2030 journey, several interventions are critical:

1. Access to Inputs and Credit
   Farmers cannot plant without seeds, fertilizers, and chemicals. Current subsidy schemes are often not inclusive, inconsistent, or insufficient. Establishing transparent, inclusive input support programs linked to affordable rural credit will enable smallholders to farm productively and commercially.
2. Irrigation and Climate Resilience
   Rain-fed farming is increasingly unreliable due to climate change. Building small-scale irrigation schemes, rehabilitating dams, and introducing climate-smart agriculture techniques are essential. Empowering farmers with water security transforms subsistence plots into productive enterprises.
3. Infrastructure and Market Linkages
   Poor rural roads, lack of storage facilities, and limited access to markets force farmers to sell at low prices. Investment in rural infrastructure, such as roads, collection centers, agro-processing hubs, ensures farmers capture fair value for their produce.
4. Land Tenure and Security
   Many communal farmers operate under insecure land tenure arrangements that limit their ability to invest or use land as collateral. Clarifying land rights and ensuring secure tenure is key to unlocking agricultural productivity.
5. Education and Extension Services
   Knowledge is as critical as inputs. Modern extension services, digital platforms for farmer training, and youth engagement in agriculture will raise productivity and make farming attractive for future generations.
6. Value Addition and Agro-Industries
   For farmers to escape poverty, they must move beyond raw produce. Establishing local agro-processing industries ensures that crops are turned into higher-value products, creating jobs and boosting incomes.

The Cost of Exclusion

Ignoring the communal farmer is not merely unjust; it is economically unsound. A nation cannot expect to achieve middle-income status when the majority is excluded from wealth creation. Without addressing rural poverty, Zimbabwe risks widening inequality, fueling rural-urban migration, and perpetuating cycles of hunger and underdevelopment.

Moreover, political stability depends on inclusive growth. Marginalized rural populations become disillusioned, and disillusionment can translate into unrest or apathy. Vision 2030 cannot afford such fragility if it is to be a unifying national dream.

Building a Shared Vision

The rhetoric of middle-income status is powerful, but rhetoric must be matched by realism. Zimbabwe’s policymakers, development partners, and private sector actors must recognize that communal farmers are not passive recipients of aid but active economic agents. With the right support, they can drive food security, contribute to exports, and uplift rural incomes.

Vision 2030 should therefore not be about skyscrapers in Harare alone; it should be about improved harvests in Gokwe, reliable irrigation in Zaka, and thriving agro-businesses in Mutoko. A shared vision is one where rural prosperity is central, not peripheral.

Conclusion: From Slogan to Substance

The 2030 middle-income target risks becoming a missed mantra if peasant farmers remain disempowered. Vision 2030 cannot succeed on promises alone; it demands formidable work, deliberate policy focus, and dedicated resources. Empowering 70% of the population engaged in communal farming is not optional, it is the bedrock upon which genuine economic transformation rests.

If Zimbabwe is serious about becoming a middle-income economy by 2030, it must walk the talk. Anything less is simply hot air, empty promises, and slogans that history will judge harshly.

Bio:

Last Mazambani (PhD) is a transformational project management and change management professional in the public sector. His academic publications are on sustainability, financial inclusion, financial technology, and cryptocurrency. Click here to access his academic profile. Last can be contacted at lastmazambani@gmail.com.