Our sample of 50 A2 farms across Gutu and Masvingo districts range from the ‘highveld’ grazing areas to the north of Gutu to the peri-urban areas of Mpandawana and Masvingo. There is huge diversity and no simple story. As in other areas, there have been challenges with financing and so investment has been intermittent, but each farm is different, making generalisations difficult.
By contrast to the A2 farms of Matobo, these farms are much less remote, and many are connected by graded roads, with access to urban areas. Some indeed are right next to expanding towns and have been redesignated as town areas to accommodate urban expansion. In Gutu/Masvingo there has been some access to patronage financing, although the official Command Agriculture and other options remain limited. The Masvingo A2 farms have much potential, but many challenges have been faced over the last 25 years.
Variable investments on the farms
Investment in A2 farms across our sample varies from effectively zero with the farm abandoned or being ‘held’ through the presence of a few workers to major investments in capital-intensive farming and new on-farm businesses, financed through off-farm work via NGO/UN connections (see cases below). Families in Masvingo/Gutu have a long tradition of investing in education, often originally through mission schools and on to university. For this reason, many in our sample in this province are well-qualified, having studied at tertiary level and as a result have had highly qualified jobs within Zimbabwe or even abroad.
Case 1: RK, Eastdale, Gutu
I am 57 years old, and I was born and bred in Gutu. I hold a BSc degree in Animal Science, a MSc in Nutritional Biosciences and an MBA. My first job was as a school teacher in the late 1990s. I then became an Executive Officer for council where I worked until 2002. Since then I have worked for UN organisations, in Zimbabwe as well as Kenya and Somalia, currently as a consultant. I also operate a sports bar, butchery and grocery shop in Gutu. My wife is a school teacher. I acquired a 1079 ha A2 plot in 2010. It’s relatively large because most of the area is mountainous. The land was initially set aside as a conservancy. However, plans to establish a conservancy were abandoned because of fear of wildlife poaching as the farm is located close to communal areas. I have invested substantially on the farm. In 2021, I built a six-roomed house with flush toilets and solar system. In 2022, I bought a tractor for US$9000, two disc ploughs for US$1300 and US$900. In 2025, I drilled another 72m deep borehole for US$2600 and constructed a spray race for US$2360. I have also invested in security fence and paddocks. When I got this farm, my main focus was cattle farming, but of late, I have since diversified into goats, sheep and crop farming. Currently, I own 57 cattle, a number of goats and sheep. I am planning to quit my consultancy job in the near future and focus on farming. My heart is now set on the farm. In fact, my retirement package is on the farm. My biggest challenge of late is uncertainty around land tenure. Where can you get the money to pay for title deeds? The mortgage arrangement through participating banks is a risk. After all these investments, you are then told that the farm now belongs to the Bank if you get tittle through the mortgage arrangement. This new title deeds initiative is one of the single largest threats to land reform programme.
Case 2: IN, Shasha Fountain
IN is an engineer by training who owns an engineering company in Harare. His wife is a draughtsperson in the same company. They acquired an A2 plot around 2007. Since settlement, they have made significant investments on the farm, which include fencing and paddocks, livestock-handling facilities, a dip tank on the farm and for a neighbouring A1 village (to avoid transmission of diseases), a guesthouse, two dams, and so on. They also own two tractors and ploughs. Currently, IN specialises in cattle farming, with a herd of 316 beef cattle. He is based in Harare, but has a qualified farm manager with a university degree in Animal Science. He grows velvet beans for feeding cattle.
These cases are outliers but shows the potential when finance is available. Especially in the ‘highveld’ areas of Gutu, there are investments in dip races as well as other livestock infrastructure for the management of cattle. In these areas, cattle (and goat) farming dominates, but most farms in this region are mixed farms with some livestock, some cultivated outfields in the wet vlei areas that are common here and homefields for more intensive production.
Across A2 farms, intensive irrigated horticultural production is probably most significant. Investment focuses on irrigation infrastructure often with small Chinese pumps linked to water storage (JoJo tanks) and piping systems for horticulture on relatively small areas, with marketing to nearby towns. Given the proximity of many A2 farms to ready markets in Masvingo or Mupandawana, horticulture offers decent returns, as the following case shows.
Case 3: JM, Maggiesrus, Gutu
I was born in 1986, and grew up in Harare. After completing Form 4 in 2002, I joined the Central Intelligence Organisation where I worked at the President’s Office until 2017 when many of us were fired after the coup. I acquired a 64 ha A2 plot in 2007 through the office. At the time, I was not really interested in acquiring land as I was still young and enjoying my life in Harare where I was driving a Toyota D4D double-cab which I had been allocated at work. But my father pushed me to acquire land. Although I was chucked out of the ‘system’, I still received my full salary for two years. During this period, I moved to the farm and took up farming on a fulltime basis. I realised that living in Harare without a decent salary was going to be a tall order. As a member of the Vapostori church, I have a very big family – two wives and ten children! For four years, I took up farming on a fulltime basis. I grew maize and engaged in horticulture. During good years, I would harvest up to 15 tonnes of maize. But because of droughts, harvests were up and down. In 2022, I acquired a Class 2 (truck) driving license and worked as a truck driver in South Africa. My aim was to raise enough capital to invest in irrigation infrastructure. I managed to buy a small solar-powered submersible pump (1 HP) for US$120, petrol pump and irrigation pipes. In April 2025, I decided to quit my job in South Africa and returned to the farm. There is no better feeling than having peace of mind, your own space and praying! In South Africa, I was robbed three times. I am now a fulltime farmer. I have started irrigation on a 0.5 ha plot.
What is noticeable in our Masvingo province sites is the quality of housing on the A2 farms, certainly by comparison to Matobo. While far from universal, there has been significant investment in good homes on the farms, where owners imagine a life of retirement or weekend retreats while still working. Farms become part of a lifestyle choice and leisure ideal as well as sites for production. It is therefore important for owners to invest in the ‘mod-cons’ of solar systems, boreholes for domestic water and so on. A Starlink kit can provide high speed internet for watching movies and football, and a fridge is always good to stock beers for a braai on the farm with friends.
Is farming for me? Gender and generational questions
Not all family members may be convinced by these (often rather male) visions for the farm, and many wives resisted the idea of farming as part of their family occupation for many years. Farming in the communal areas had been escaped from many years before through education and then professional and business jobs in town, so why return to remote rural living?
There was not a strong tradition of being a commercial farmer amongst the black middle class, as this was formerly the preserves of the whites on their farms. That many of the trappings of ‘white’ (male) rural lifestyles (even clothing, with shorts, long socks and veld shoes) have been adopted by the A2 farmers is an interesting reflection on how times change but also stand still. As farms have developed and domestic cycles shift, with retirement and even old age being prevalent among original A2 settlers, the move back to the farm of different members of the family has been apparent, as the case below highlights.
Case 4: CM, Gutu
60-year-old CM is a widow who grew up in town. “I grew up in town as my father was a policeman”, she told us. “I had no farming or rural background prior to settlement. In fact, my husband asked me if I was sure about acquiring land when we applied for this farm”, she continued. CM holds a degree in Economics from the University of Zimbabwe, MBL from University of South Africa and a PhD from DaVinci Institute in South Africa. The M family acquired the farm around 2001. The farm is around 1490 ha in size, consisting of two A2 subdivisions. One of the A2 subdivisions (674 ha) belonged to CM’s late parents-in-laws, while the remaining 816 ha belong to CM. CM’s father-in-law (now late) was a senior politician and before his death in 2003. Just like his father, CM’s husband, who passed away in 2023, was also a politician. Besides being a politician, he worked for the mining sector in various capacities. CM started getting more involved on the farm from 2019 when she retired from her job as a researcher. Following her husband’s death, she took over the whole farm on a fulltime basis, and runs a highly diversified farming operation, including dryland cropping, irrigation/horticulture and livestock (beef cattle, poultry (broilers and eggs), sheep). A total of 160 ha is under irrigation with centre pivots and drip irrigation, while 20 ha is used for dryland cropping. She owns 163 cattle, 80 sheep and 20 goats. She grows wheat, maize, and other high-value crops such as butternuts, cabbages and so on. She employs 21 permanent workers, with two managers who hold degrees in Animal Science and Agronomy. Through their political influence in the past, the household benefitted from farm implements including tractors, combine harvesters and so on under the Farm Mechanisation Programme of 2007/8. But now it is different: “I am subsidising the farm operations with other off-farm incomes, particularly house rentals”, she told us. Her biggest challenge is how to get her two children involved in farming. Her son works for a battery company in Harare, and it’s been five months since he last received his salary and she has had to financially assist him. Despite all this, the son does not want to return to the farm. By contrast, her daughter is interested in farming; she is married, works at Mimosa mine and they have their own plot in Zvishavane.
Case 5: SJM, Morvas/Irvine, Gutu
I was born in 1983, and I am the last born in a family of five (2 boys and 3 girls). I hold a degree in Economics from the University of Zimbabwe. I live fulltime on the farm. My late father was a politician and former minister who acquired a 1381 ha A2 plot in the early 2000s. My father passed away in 2016. Since his death, the farm was lying idle until 2023 when I decided to return back to the farm. Everything was looted – fences, bricks and pipes. What made me to return? In 2008, after completing my degree, I looked for work but there was no work in Zimbabwe and inflation was a record high. So I came here without any interest in farming. Once I got at the farm, I decided to grow leafy vegetables. I managed to harvest a truck load of vegetables and sold it in Gutu. I managed to get some good cash. That’s when I realised that farming is profitable, but I was still farming under subsidies from my father. In 2010, I left the farm and returned to Harare where I then opened an Internet Café. However, looking at the fast-changing world – especially the widespread use of cell phones – I realised that it was a dying business. I then started another delivery business with motorbikes, specialising in delivering agricultural produce. However, in 2022, I stopped the business due to illness and spent the whole year in hospital. In March 2023, following recovery, I decided to return to the farm. I bought a small pump and irrigation pump, and set up an ‘experimental’ garden to determine what grows well on our soils. I then decided to grow ‘custom’ chillies for Indians. I sell at US$12 or $13 per kg. My sister who is a lecturer in the Tourism Department at a local university, helps me to market my produce. In sum, my route back to the farm was not straightforward. Many farmers are educating their children out of farming. They educate their children through farming, but the children won’t return to the farm after completing their education.
Persuading the younger generation to commit to farming has been the biggest challenge, however. With the long tradition of mission education and high educational qualifications, many children of A2 beneficiaries have gone on to well paid jobs, often abroad. They are keen to support their parents and send funds for farm investments but relatively few have a concrete plan to return. This is why there have been shifts in inheritance patterns in A2 farms, as in A1 areas. Parents will identify any child, male or female, who is interested in farming as a potential inheritor of the farm. Keeping the farm within the family and continuing the efforts of the parents is seen as central. It is not always successful as the numbers of abandoned farms is witness to.
The limits of patronage
Some ‘big chefs’ chose their home areas for farms to be allocated during the land reform, and we have a scattering of (now late) former ministers even a former vice-president in our sample, along with the usual array of war veterans and others. However generational changes are having an impact on these areas, with changing connections and allegiances. As formerly ‘big chefs’ retire and die their families struggle to maintain access to patronage and the land.
Some such farms have been abandoned, and the government has subdivided them leaving the family often the largest but much diminished plot in the farm. For example, at Winterton Farm in Gut, following the death of the original beneficiary in 2021, a decision was made by the Department of Lands to downsize and subdivide the farm. A total of 39 A2 farms were carved out and created, ranging between 10 and 15 hectares. These plots were then allocated to ZANU-PF youth, civil servants, security services and so on. In another farm, originally owned by a former minister, the land was also subdivided. SM’s widow was left with 472 ha, while one of his sons was allocated 75ha within the farm. “I negotiated with the lands officers to also get a plot. I argued that off-spring of the original beneficiary should also benefit”, the son said.
Patronage only lasts as long as it is convenient to the party-state, and even someone who contributed at the highest level during the liberation war and after Independence is not immune for changes in how favouritism is applied especially after death. Demand for land from the next generation of civil servants and those connected to the party continues and such arrangements are part of the on-going accommodation of elites as land reform continues. In our sample, there are two such cases of subdivided farms, discussed below.
Competing land uses: towns and mines
Across our sample, there are a total of six cases (12% of our Masvingo/Gutu sample) where urban expansion has meant that farms have or will soon cease to exist. There are for example two A2 farms in our sample in Victoria Range, which was bush on the outskirts of Masvingo in 2002 when allocations took place. Now these areas are incorporated within the city and compulsory acquisitions and redesignations are ongoing, even though the farmers in this area continue to produce irrigated horticulture products for town markets. A further case where urban designation has taken place exists along the Beitbridge Road at Netridge farm.
In Mpandawana there are three further cases in our sample where the new Master Plan has reallocated land for urban use. According to one of the three affected farmers in our sample, the Town Council had initially proposed to take the farms without any compensation. However, the farmers threatened to contest the decision in court. After several rounds of lobbying through various methods, it was agreed that these farmers will receive compensation payments, which include three ‘stands’ (medium-density, low-density and industrial stands) and a 5 ha peri-urban plot in the area. The farmers are still lobbying in order to be allowed to develop the residential stands themselves. As one farmer argued, “As farmers, we have the capacity to develop our area. Amongst ourselves, we have a prominent constructor who is based in South Africa, with graders and other construction equipment.” Despite the uncertainty, one farmer is still building a school on his farm, betting on the inefficiencies of both the Ministry of Lands and Town Council; others are expecting hefty compensation payments.
Mining is also having an impact on land use and ownership patterns. Many farms have gold deposits on them and there has been a huge growth in small-scale gold mining across Masvingo province. We have one farm in our sample where the owner of mixed race has since ceased farming operations due to small-scale gold mining, and a gold processing plant has been installed there. In order to secure these from separate claims, A2 farm owners must claim the mining rights. In some cases, farm owners have developed mines themselves; in other cases, joint ventures with others have emerged; while in other instances artisanal makorokoza miners invade the farm’s rivers. With the value of land increasing, the challenges of defending it from appropriation by others, particularly those with mining concessions, becomes important.
It was on one farm in Masvingo that we heard of the first (and only) successful attempt to secure a title under the new scheme a cross our full sample. The owners claimed that they had paid around $250,000 to gain the title, but details remained a bit murky. The formal title was, the joint owner claimed, an important protection for them (see case below).
Case 6: AG, Constance farm, Masvingo
My late father acquired this 625 ha A2 plot in 2000. He was a war veteran who led farm invasions in Masvingo. We have successfully managed to receive title deeds for our farm. To get the title deeds, we paid US$250,000 in cash. We managed to finance the acquisition of title deeds using proceeds from gold mining, borrowed US$60,000 from a gold buyer and sold one of our houses in Harare. We have a gold mine and harmer mill on our farm. When we heard that A2 farmers could now apply for title deeds, we did not waste time because of two main reasons. First, since the death of my father in 2011, some senior ZANU-PF politicians have been trying to take the farm. Second, because of its proximity to Masvingo town, we were told that the farm is within the new Master Plan. That’s why we didn’t hesitate to apply for title deeds as we wanted to fend off other interests. From 2018 to 2022, we have had a serious gold rush in the farm, with many prospectors obtaining claims within the farm from the Ministry of Mines. Fortunately for us, these mines were not productive at all, and the miners gave up their claims. At one point, a senior politicians tried to grab the farm. So, I went to see the governor and threatened that if they grab the farm I will go on social media and expose the rot in the system. I told him that my father was one of the founders of Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, and I will therefore tell the world how badly they treat the children of deceased heroes. My father was ZANU-PF through and through, and he integrated us into ZANU-PF ‘systems’ at a young age. If there are any threats, I go straight to the higher offices. I know how the ‘system’ works. Currently, I am the Secretary General of Miners for ED in Masvingo province. Because of these strong political connections to the current leadership, I have the guts to challenge anyone who wants to grab our land.
Diverse labour arrangements for farm management
There are many different labour arrangements for managing A2 farms seen across our sites in Masvingo province. This depends crucially on the family arrangement, and how labour is deployed. For example, we see cases where a retired farmer is working together with a son (case 10), across different farms within the area; we see women managing the farm while husbands are in town on work (case 11); we see multiple generations managing a farm, with different roles following the death of a husband (case 12) and we see cases where death has resulted in conflicts between wives and other relatives, with the result that there is little happening on the farm (Case 14)
Case 7: SC, Donachad, Gutu
I am 83 years old. I live in Gutu Mpandawana town. I can’t live permanently on the farm because my wife is elderly and infirm. She is diabetic, has BP, suffers from back-ache and can’t walk. I am a former school headmaster. I retired from my teaching job in 2012. I acquired a 52 ha A2 plot in 2003. My biggest regret is that I acquired this farm too late when I was already old. I also wished that I had studied agriculture rather than teaching! Given my age, I have encouraged my children to take over the farm. I have encouraged them to buy cattle so that they can have interest in farming. Of the 21 cattle on the farm, some belong to my sons. I have six children: three boys and three girls. One of my sons (born 1980) who works as a farm manager in Gweru is building a big house at the farm. In partnership with him, we are also raising broilers at the farm. We raise 100 birds per batch. When they are ready for the market, my son comes to pick them and sell them in Gweru. We also engage in horticulture. We grow leafy vegetables, especially covo, and sell in Gutu Mpandawana. We have three permanent workers (one woman and two girls). Given the proximity of the farm to Gutu Mpandawana, I am able to manage workers during the day and return to town in the evening.
Case 8: MG, Endama, Gutu
MG works at the Central Intelligence Organisation and is based in Harare. He acquired an A2 plot in the early 2000s. Given that he is still at work, her wife does the day-to-day management of the farm. They also have a farm manager who holds a degree in horticulture. The household has five permanent workers (one women and four men), including the farm manager. The women permanent worker works as a storekeeper at the tuckshop within the farm. Currently, the household owns over 70 head of cattle and 30 goats. They are also rearing broilers, which are sold in Harare. They raise between 150 and 200 birds per batch. They also engage in horticulture.
Case 9: AG, Remainder of Constance, Masvingo
I was born in 1994 in a family of three – two boys and one girl. My father passed away in 2011 due to cancer. Following his death, my mother took over the farm. We engage in various activities at the farm, including cattle ranching, gold mining and horticulture. We now work as a family. My oldest brother (born 1987) who has a degree in Human Resources Management from the University of Zimbabwe manages the farming and mining operations. My younger brother (born 1997) with a diploma in mining from School of Mines deals with the processing of gold. He also has a blasting licence. I hold a degree in Business and Finance from Midlands State University, and I do the administration and finance duties at the mine and farm. We also have an A1 villagised plot in Mashava, where my mother now lives. We operate all these activities as a family business. When we get something from the mine, we give 20% of the proceeds to our mother and share the rest equally amongst the three of us. We all do not have any other jobs elsewhere.
In our Masvingo sites it is the challenges of managing labour combined with the lack of finance that means that many farms are left idle. This becomes more of an issue when husbands pass on as widows are often unable to manage the farm as well as commitments in town homes. Workers may live at the farm but supervision and coordination take time and effort and low pay means that there is a rapid turnover.
Polygamous households face many challenges when husbands of many wives die. Who takes over the farm? The eldest wife may be still resident, but older male children from other mothers may stake claims. This causes conflict and confusion, and very often an impasse that results in the farm become effectively abandoned. In other cases, people have managed to engineer subdivisions, although these are still relatively rare, especially given that children have been reluctant to establish homes on the A2 farms. Other relatives therefore may be invited onto the farm when the original owners become old, a relative can be invited to establish a home and separate field on the farm and can provide protection for a widow on the husband’s passing (see cases below).
Case 10: AZ, Nuwejaar, Gutu
I am 67 years old. I am originally from Zaka. My sekuru (mother’s brother’s son) acquired this A2 plot in 2010. In 2013, he invited me to come and live with him at the farm. He told me to also build my own homestead on the plot as the plot is big. Given that this place is mainly bush, he wanted more people for security reasons. I have since built my own homestead on the plot, and opened up 5 ha of arable land. My sekuru passed away in 2019, but his family still lives on the farm.
Case 11: SM, Northdale, Gutu
I am 69 years old. I was a school teacher by profession and my husband was a nurse. But we both took early retirement in 1979 to focus on our own businesses. We had shops and grinding mills in Nyamande area in Gutu. We had six children – all girls, but one passed away. The first-born (1970) is an accountant in Harare, the second born (1972) is a tailor in Harare, the third-born (1974) is running her care work (disability) business in the USA, the fourth-born (1975) passed away, the fifth-born (1978) is a school teacher, and the last-born (1982) is a pharmacist. We acquired a 272 ha A2 plot in 2002. Sadly, my husband passed away in 2015. While he was still sick, he asked an acquaintance who shared a same Madyira totem with him to stay at the farm and help him manage the farm. This relative has since constructed his own homestead on the farm, and help to manage the farm. He has his own cattle, and also farm on his own account in exchange of supervising the workers. I live in Masvingo town, and visit the farm occasionally. One of my biggest challenges is to try and convince my children to take over the farm. My children are not interested in farming. All they do is buy inputs for me and send to the farm. It’s a huge challenge.
Future prospects?
The future of A2 farms in Masvingo remains uncertain. There is clearly significant agricultural potential and, with the right investments, some A2 farmers have shown what is possible. For most though, the lack of available finance, the challenges of labour recruitment and retention and the problems that arise around inheritance and generational transition are creating problems that restrict opportunities. Beyond a few patronage-based schemes such as Command Agriculture, the A2 farms – like the A1 areas – have been seriously neglected by the state over the past 25 years. Limited investment, poor infrastructure, few financing schemes and lack of effective land administration hamper the success of medium-scale farms. If the government genuinely expects the A2 farms to rise to the challenge of being commercial farms supporting the agricultural economy, then this will have to change.
This post was written by Ian Scoones and Tapiwa Chatikobo and first appeared on Zimbabweland.