WILLAGRI
During the land reclamation campaign organized in the 2020s by President Mugabe, around 4,000 white farmers were expelled in favor of locals. The majority of the farms were left abandoned, leading to a decline in agricultural production. Even today, white farmers are demanding compensation for these arbitrary expulsions.
New irrigation systems are now appearing in the fields, and tobacco dryers are being set up on the farms. Leading these farms are white farmers who have returned to lands now owned by Zimbabweans. These local landowners, burdened by debts and struggling to make their farms profitable, seek the expertise of these white farmers.
The Zimbabwean landowner willingly hands over the management of their land to a white farmer in exchange for a commission on the harvest, approximately 8%. Simultaneously, the government has supported investment in the agricultural sector. This combination allows Zimbabwe to showcase a successful campaign, with a tobacco harvest valued at over 700 million euros, for example.
The effects are also visible in local vegetable production, as the country works towards food sovereignty, although the situation remains precarious. White farmers still cannot own land, and Zimbabwean landowners are highly dependent on state support.
Source: Courrier International