Development and Differentiation

This book explores irrigation and rainfed§agricultural development in ARDA-type schemes and the§adjoining dryland in Zimbabwe s northwestern frontier§region of Sanyati including the peasant§differentiation that subsequently emerged. It helps§rewrite the story of rural differentiation in an§irrigation sector compared to the dryland sector. It§makes a very strong case for the different§intensities of differentiation between these farming§settings. Incorporating resettlement, land, water,§conservation, food security and poverty alleviation§policies it contends that irrigation produced§distinct types of differentiation hitherto unknown in§this area. The process of differentiation emerged as§an unintended outcome of governmental policy.§Sanyati s remarkable progression from a backwater to§a thriving regional economy was premised on cotton§commodity production. Its agrarian experience is§unique and relevant not only to Zimbabwe, but also to§South Africa, Southern Africa and other semi-arid§parts of the world. The book is targeted at a wide§readership namely university students, academics,§policy makers, civic society and other stakeholders§interested in rural smallholder enterprise.