African Agriculture in Rhodesia

Communal areas were made up of infertile soils.

• Africans failed to make headway in terms of agriculture
• African reserves became overpopulated and overgrazed
• An effort to try and resuscitate the African agriculture was started by a Christian Missionary called Emory D Alvord was the then Agriculturist for the Instruction of Natives in the Department of Agriculture and first communal areas’ extension agent
• He encouraged Africans to use scientific farming methods to improve yields such as construction of contour ridges, storm dams and crop rotation
• Training centres were established at Domboshava and Tsholotsho to train Africans
• Africans who had the means could buy from 200-300 acres of land in Native Purchase Schemes but the lands were located in less productive areas
• Successful African farmers were given the title Master Farmer and badges and this was all mockery
• Africans could sell their produce but at discriminatory rates
• They were heavily levied on the produce and cattle they sold
• Efforts to revolutionize the African agriculture were futile because structures to support such as government policy, research, marketing were not available

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