Tendai Ruben Mbofana
When cabinet ministers, foreign dignitaries, and state media routinely assemble for agricultural pilgrimages to Precabe Farm in Kwekwe, the public is treated to a masterclass in modern farming.
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We are shown sprawling fields of winter wheat, state-of-the-art center-pivot irrigation systems, high-yielding maize, and pedigree livestock.
The underlying narrative passed down to the nation is unambiguous: President Emmerson Mnangagwa is arguably the most productive, efficient, and successful farmer in Zimbabwe.
While state authorities frame this as leadership by example, a profound question must be asked.
Should we as a nation be proud of a head of state who outshines all others in field yields?
Or should we be deeply worried about what this reveals regarding the structural state of Zimbabwean agriculture?
This is not a new spectacle.
History in Zimbabwe has a frustrating habit of repeating itself.
During the tenure of the late former President Robert Mugabe, a virtually identical narrative was deployed.
His Gushungo Holdings and the associated Alpha and Omega Dairy in Mazowe were touted as pinnacle achievements of national agricultural capability.
Cabinet ministers marveled at the multi-million-dollar modern milking parlors, and state institutions lined up to purchase its produce.
Alpha and Omega was framed as proof of the ultimate success of indigenous farming.
Yet, the moment the political shelter of the presidency was removed following the 2017 coup, the illusions vanished.
Devoid of unhindered access to state-subsidized inputs, guaranteed supply contracts with public institutions, and priority access to state-managed utilities, the empire spiraled into insolvency.
Equipment was auctioned off, hundreds of dairy cows were sold, workers were retrenched, and the once-touted centerpiece of Zimbabwean dairy became an operational ruin.
The catastrophic downfall of Alpha and Omega exposes a fundamental truth about agricultural production when it is anchored to supreme political power.
It demonstrates that these mega-farms often do not thrive because of superior market efficiency or replicable agricultural policy.
They thrive because they operate within a micro-ecosystem shielded from the harsh economic realities confronting the average Zimbabwean farmer.
When the head of state is consistently presented as the paramount farmer in the land, it signals a deeply distorted agricultural landscape.
In a healthy, market-driven economy, the most successful farmers are independent commercial operators, innovative youth agro-preneurs, and resilient smallholders who succeed because the broader economic system works.
Instead, the average Zimbabwean farmer—whether A1, A2, or communal—operates in an environment defined by systemic friction.
Ordinary farmers struggle with insecure land tenure that commercial banks refuse to recognize as collateral for loans.
They face exorbitant interest rates, erratic electricity supply that ruins irrigated crops, delayed payments from state buying entities like the Grain Marketing Board, and unmanageable input costs.
Why is it that the supreme achievements in our agricultural sector seem concentrated on presidential land?
Why is it that supreme agricultural success in our country appears so uniquely concentrated around the highest office in the land?
The fundamental issue is not a specific individual, but a system where proximity to state power inherently creates an unmatchable advantage.
The contrast could not be starker.
On one hand, state media showcases thriving fields and world-class yields at the highest level of leadership.
On the other hand, ordinary farmers across the country struggle daily with insecure land tenure, high input costs, power outages, and delayed payments for their crops.
If the nation’s agricultural policies, land tenure systems, and extension services were truly effective, Zimbabwe would boast hundreds of celebrated, independent mega-farmers across every province.
High-profile delegations would be touring a diverse landscape of thriving agricultural enterprises owned by everyday citizens who built their success through a fair, competitive, and functional market economy.
The fact that state attention remains fixated on a singular presidential farm exposes a troubling reality.
It suggests that peak agricultural productivity in Zimbabwe remains a privilege tied to political proximity rather than an opportunity created by systemic efficiency.
We should be deeply concerned.
When a nation’s agricultural narrative relies on elevating the head of state as the ultimate producer, it does not demonstrate the success of a national agricultural strategy.
It demonstrates its failure.
A thriving nation does not need a farmer-in-chief; it needs a functional system where any hardworking citizen with a piece of land can succeed without holding state power.
Until our agricultural sector enables every average farmer to prosper, high yields at Precabe Farm remain flawed.
Much like Gushungo Estate before it, they reflect structural inequality rather than national progress.
- Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to contact him on +263715667700 or mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com