The Kampala Principles for Zimbabwe.Why and What?
1. Introduction
In Africa and the developing world, agriculture is one of the major economic sectors contributing the largest share to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).For example in 2012 agriculture contributed 20.3 % to Zimbabwe’s total GDP . However, despite the high figures shown by agriculture most farmers across Africa lack financial resources and services to produce to their maximum capability. It is against this backdrop that African nations came together to form the Kampala Principles to help countries keep up with agricultural and rural financial development and management.
The Kampala Principles of Uganda 2011 were formulated as the guiding formulae to help African nations achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in line with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) initiative which seeks to accelerate economic development through agriculture-led growth with broader goals of eliminating poverty and hunger in Africa. The Kampala Principles offer support to CAADP with a solid financial guideline to agricultural and rural development.
The Kampala principles are still generally a new idea with most of the African countries showing little progression towards their adoption. While Zimbabwe is one of the countries yet to adopt, the Kampala Principles should be viewed in a positive light as they may be the much needed vehicle for restoration of its once booming agricultural sector.
Zimbabwe used to be an agriculture powerhouse in Africa and was once referred to as ‘the breadbasket of southern Africa’. However, a decade (2000-2010) long, political and economic turmoil nearly brought its economy to its knees. The economy and the agricultural sector went on a slump during this period following the fast track land reform starting the year 2000 which was associated with high political volatility and bad government policies. This resulted in agricultural production fall to about 50 percent of 2000 levels and a high rise in poverty levels
In Africa and the developing world, agriculture is one of the major economic sectors contributing the largest share to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).For example in 2012 agriculture contributed 20.3 % to Zimbabwe’s total GDP . However, despite the high figures shown by agriculture most farmers across Africa lack financial resources and services to produce to their maximum capability. It is against this backdrop that African nations came together to form the Kampala Principles to help countries keep up with agricultural and rural financial development and management.
The Kampala Principles of Uganda 2011 were formulated as the guiding formulae to help African nations achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in line with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) initiative which seeks to accelerate economic development through agriculture-led growth with broader goals of eliminating poverty and hunger in Africa. The Kampala Principles offer support to CAADP with a solid financial guideline to agricultural and rural development.
The Kampala principles are still generally a new idea with most of the African countries showing little progression towards their adoption. While Zimbabwe is one of the countries yet to adopt, the Kampala Principles should be viewed in a positive light as they may be the much needed vehicle for restoration of its once booming agricultural sector.
Zimbabwe used to be an agriculture powerhouse in Africa and was once referred to as ‘the breadbasket of southern Africa’. However, a decade (2000-2010) long, political and economic turmoil nearly brought its economy to its knees. The economy and the agricultural sector went on a slump during this period following the fast track land reform starting the year 2000 which was associated with high political volatility and bad government policies. This resulted in agricultural production fall to about 50 percent of 2000 levels and a high rise in poverty levels
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