Agricultural shortcomings laid bare

Had I been one of the lucky ones to have an allocation of State land as a resettled farmer, I’m fully convinced that I would have, through my passion for farming, done wonders on my plot of land.
Since it is now given that I may never have a chance to be resettled because my previous efforts were rejected by government officials, my wish to be a farmer on a large scale may never be fulfilled.
Several things struck me as I strutted up and about my village, meeting relatives and childhood friends and discussing nostalgically with most of them asking questions about the outcome of the political talks between ZANU-PF and the MDC.
Since I was someone coming from the city, and also being aware that I’m an enlightened son of the village, they expected to get a spot on analysis and update of this significant political event.
Most were concerned of course with wanting to know whether there has been any positive news, and if not, for how long they had to wait. I had a torrid time trying to explain to them the impasse and my understanding of the reasons for the political deadlock but it appeared that most of them were now extremely impatient with the belligerent two political groups.
To their belief, their current misery is unlikely to come to an end for as long as there is no political compromise.
Another factor that struck me with extreme alarm and concern was the abject hunger and starvation that has besieged my home village and as a matter of fact, my entire district. Since, readers may be keen to know my origins, I’m proud to announce that I’m from the Mangwende clan of Murewa and my village is located just 60km out of Harare.
Since I was born and grew up witnessing events around me, I have never come to see the sheer extent of suffering caused by hunger similar to what I saw this past weekend. Save for a few who managed to harvest last season, many homesteads are at the point of starvation due to lack of the staple maize-meal.
For the two days that I was at my communal home, I received no less than half a dozen people a day coming to beg for food, and poor as I am, I found myself unable to assist.
Murewa is in geographical Region Two and usually receives normal rainfall permitting for fair harvest hence my affirmation that it is only now that I’m witnessing hunger and starvation in this area.
I now shudder to imagine how other places or regions that are dryer than Murewa are being affected by this critical food shortage if my own district with its reputation for good harvests is in the predicament that it is in presently. Such thoughts are indeed shocking.
However, when I look at the current debacle, I see it as nothing but a man-made crisis.
Zimbabwe has a duty at international law, being a member of the United Nations and as such bound by its statutes to take all necessary steps to ensure that some basic economic and social rights for its citizens are respected, protected and fulfilled.
More particularly Zimbabwe is bound by the International Covenant on Eco-nomic, Social and Cultural rights.
Clearly therefore, the State has an obligation to ensure that everyone affords at least what is termed “standard” living, which guarantees adequate food and other basic necessities of life.
Every citizen has a fundamental right to be free from hunger and an im-portant obligation again is imposed by the United Nations on its member states to individually and through international co-operation, take measures and introduce specific programmes to im-prove methods of production, conservation and distribution of food.
It is more than apparent that the current agricultural catastrophe is a direct result of our government’s poor policies.
While to some extent factors like the HIV/AIDS pandemic and economic decline all contribute to the food insecurity being experienced in Zimbabwe, food experts including the World Food Programme and the Food Agricultural Organi-sation have stated that “government policies and practices have also been a factor in the food crisis”.
It is on record that whenever challenged about our agricultural shortcomings, government has not lost an opportunity to argue that there is no food crisis and has told the United Nations and international donors that Zimbabwe does not need food aid.
And despite being warn-ed that our harvest for last year was insufficient to meet the country’s needs, government officials remained stiff and unyielding, still insisting that all was well.
The crisis was exacerbated during the June election fiasco where government flatly rejected any intervention by the United Nations and food aid donors to avert the present widespread starvation.
There is more than enough evidence that our government is guilty of a serious omission in so far as its policies and strategic timing to limit or avoid people suffering due to the absence of food is concerned.
Evidence also therefore abounds that Zimbabwe, as a state party to the UN’s key instruments outlawing hunger and starvation, is overwhelmingly guilty of directly or indirectly reneging on its obligations towards its citizens.
The extent of the suffering in cities and rural areas caused by food shortages and also the absence of basic commodities is a clear manifestation of State orche-strated injustices.
For when we talk of justice, we are not only talking of what is done in the courts since justice is about providing for the basic economic social and cultural needs of the people.
In Zimbabwe today, justice can have no other meaning than providing every man and woman in society with food, water and other necessities. To me, any other meaning given to the words “justice” or “human rights” is only empty talk and devoid of any real words or content.
Those in government need to swallow their pride and avoid a looming epic humanitarian disaster since it is almost now certain that without any serious action to sound an SOS to the international community, many lives are going to be lost.
And, to have Zimba-bweans dying of hunger with all our sophistication and the recent land revolution will be extremely emba-rrassing.

l C/o Muza & Nyapadi Legal Practitioners.
Email: muzaandnyapadi.com
Website: www.muzaandnyapadi.com