Nearly 60% of farmers lack mechanisation equipment
LIVINGSTONE MARUFU
Nearly 60% of Zimbabwean farmers lack access to mechanised equipment due to limited financial capacity to acquire essential tools needed to improve productivity and efficiency in agriculture.
As the country intensifies its push towards food self-sufficiency across key crops, the wide mechanisation gap continues to weigh heavily on agricultural output and long-term prospects.
Speaking at the Agriculture Dealers and Manufacturers Association (ADMA) 2026 tour, Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development permanent secretary Professor Obert Jiri said rural farming communities account for the majority of farmers without basic equipment.
“Zimbabwe’s mechanisation index sits at just 43%, leaving over half of farmers without access to equipment, with rural areas facing the biggest gap,” Prof Jiri said.
He said efforts to modernise agriculture, simplify farming systems, and boost productivity cannot succeed without deliberate investment in mechanisation.
Government, he said, is now prioritising an agricultural-led economic development model anchored on the deployment of small-scale tractors and equipment at village level, supported by structured aggregation of produce at ward and district level to align production with suitable agro-ecological zones and stimulate rural economic growth.
Many farmers continue to rely on ox-drawn ploughs, while others have reverted to manual labour using hoes after losing cattle to diseases such as January disease and other livestock ailments.
High equipment costs and long distances to the nearest service providers have further deepened the accessibility challenge, leaving many smallholder farmers trapped in low-productivity systems.
“That gap between what farmers see and what they can actually use is what Zimbabwe’s agricultural planners are now trying to close,” Prof Jiri said.
He stressed that mechanisation goes beyond large commercial tractors, particularly in the context of climate shocks, rising input costs, and a growing population. It also involves improving the speed and efficiency with which smallholder farmers can plant, weed, irrigate, and harvest.
Jiri linked the push for village-level mechanisation to Zimbabwe’s broader agricultural-led economic development agenda.
“The idea is simple but powerful: when farmers can prepare land on time, plant evenly, and harvest quickly, yields rise, losses fall, and the surplus can feed local markets and agro-industries,” he said. “This approach aligns with the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), as well as continental and global development frameworks such as the AU Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, all of which prioritise productivity, rural incomes, and inclusive economic growth.”
While mechanisation is often associated with large tractors and commercial farming operations, Prof Jiri said the new focus is on decentralised, small-scale equipment deployed close to farming communities.
“Our model is simple. We start with small tractors and attachments at village level, then organise aggregation at ward and district level,” he said. “That is how we match crops to the right districts and drive local economic growth.”
He added that mechanisation should also be viewed as a driver of rural enterprise development, creating opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship within farming communities.
“If we structure it well, young people and women can be at the centre of these services,” he said.
Zimbabwe’s agricultural transformation agenda, he said, will depend heavily on closing the mechanisation gap and shifting smallholder farmers away from reliance on hand hoes and ageing draught power towards more efficient, technology-driven farming systems.
