A General Overview on Agricultural Mechanization in Zimbabwe

摘要

This paper gives a general overview on the current status and future prospects of agricultural mechanization in Zimbabwe. A survey of relevant literature and government policy documents was performed so as to determine the current position and future directions of agricultural mechanization. It was found that Zimbabwe is generally at the initial and intermediate stages of agricultural mechanization. This is a state whereby most farmers are moving from using hand tools to using animal draught power and hiring mechanical-powered tillage services. There is limited availability of information on the numbers of effective farm power machines in Zimbabwe. However, there is a strong political commitment to ensure the mechanization and modernization of Zimbabwean agriculture. Zimbabwe also has an important role to play in the attainment of the African Union vision to banish the hand hoe from tillage operations. Overall, there is strong market potential for farm power technologies. Appropriate mechanization strategies have to be adopted to suit the social and economic profile of Zimbabwe.