TITLE:
Contribution of Smallholder Tobacco Contract Farming to Economic and Human Development of Rural Communities in Zimbabwe: A Case of Igava Community, Marondera District
AUTHORS:
Lloyd Shiringo, Moses Chundu, Pindai M. Sithole
KEYWORDS:
Government Subsidy, Contractor Farming, Community Development
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.10 No.9,
August
9,
2022
ABSTRACT: The study focused on the contribution of tobacco
contract farming on economic and human development in Zimbabwean communities
with a focus on smallholder farmers in Igava community in Marondera District. A
mixed research methods approach was adopted where both quantitative and
qualitative data were collected through a questionnaire and a detailed
interview guide respectively. A sample of 40 participants who comprised 22
questionnaire respondents and 18 interview participants participated in the
study. The study results revealed that tobacco contract farming contributes to
both economic and human development of the Igava community. Proportionally, it emerged that the economic contribution dimension
of tobacco contract farming is relatively higher than the human
development because of its direct and tangible benefits in the community. Based
on the findings, it was concluded that smallholder tobacco contract farming is quite
beneficial in the promotion of economic and human development towards quality
of life in the Igava community. It is therefore recommendation
that the government of Zimbabwe seeks to strengthen the
tobacco contract farming model for sustainable development.