Towards a working model on agro-input support and farmer productivity: a case of selected institutional farmers

Abstract

This study sought to propose a working model on agro-input support and farmer productivity with specific reference to selected institutional farmers in Zimbabwe. The study came against a backdrop of growing concerns about the productivity gaps among institutional farmer organisations such as the University of Zimbabwe Agro Industrial Park, Air force of Zimbabwe and the Bindura University of Science Agriculture farm which have been supported through the CBZ Agro Yields Scheme. The study therefore aimed to examine the current state of agricultural input support offered to institutional farming organisations; determine factors influencing farmer decisions to participate in input support schemes in Zimbabwe; determine the effect of current input support schemes on farmer productivity among institutional farming organisations and to propose a working input support model for enhanced farmer productivity among institutional farmer organisations. Thus study was premised upon a mixed methods approach which sought to collect both qualitative and quantitative information on the subject of inquiry. This implies that the research philosophy was pragmatism and the design was descriptive. The population consisted of employees within institutional farming organisations in Zimbabwe that benefitted from the CBZ Agro Yields concept. It also constituted managers within the CBZ with inside knowledge of Agro yields scheme. The researcher specifically targeted senor level employees and managers within the scheme who were well versed with how the scheme affected productivity levels. Thus, the data collection criteria involved the use of questionnaires, interviews and document analysis which ensured the direct involvement of local people in problem identification. The collected information was in turn be analysed through both thematic analysis and statistical analysis in line with the mixed methods approach selected for the current study. The results indicated that institutional farmer organisations under the CBZ Agro Yields Scheme are subject to a narrow and often unsatisfactory input support regime based solely on input credit or contract farming. This means that they do not get free or subsidised inputs and are not part of integrated input support or input supply chain arrangements. In the same vein, the input credit facility itself is also subject to a range of challenges encompassing the fact that they are unaffordable through exposing farmers to additional administrative costs. The results indicated that farmer decisions to participate in input support schemes were dependent upon a range of factors which encompassed unsustainable nature of input costs on the open market wherein farmers struggle to access inputs on their own resources due to national economic challenges. The results from both questionnaires and interviews also demonstrated that current agriculture input support schemes under the CBZ arrangement had a negative effect upon farmer productivity in the sense that they failed to spur up venture profit. This means that farmers often experienced losses despite having access to agriculture credit. Overally, the results of regression analysis also indicated that a unit change in input support correlated with a 58% decline in farmer productivity. The ultimate aim of the study was to propose an alternative Zimbabwe Agriculture Input Support (ZASM) model to enhance the effect of agricultural input support on farmer productivity. Thus, to arrive at the model the researcher first diagnosed the current roots of insufficient farmer productivity under the CBZ scheme. This led to the realization that farmer productivity depended not only upon traditional inputs such as seeds and agrochemicals which the current input support scheme targeted. Rather, it dependent on additional support mechanisms such as credit, training and mechanization which were overlooked in the current scheme. In view of the above, the study proposed that the government should reconsider its input support schemes to broaden it so that it caters for other uncovered aspects