Landscapes, fields and soils: understanding the history of soil fertility management in Southern Zimbabwe

Many commentators on African agriculture believe soil fertility is declining to levels where food production can no longer be sustained, thus spelling disaster for the future. But how accurate are these doomsday pictures? This paper takes a more focused look at the issues of soil fertility management using a case study from southern Zimbabwe. An historical perspective is taken which attempts to unravel the range of factors which have influenced the changes in soil fertility at landscape and farm levels over the past century. The story that emerges is not one of terminal decline, but one where some areas have increased in fertility status through active enrichment through management, while others have declined. The role of institutions, both local and external, in mediating the processes of soil fertility change is highlighted through an examination of the patterns of labour organisation, land tenure, government legislation and markets and prices. The resulting story, not surprisingly, is much more complex than the simplistic commentaries so often dominating environmental and agricultural policy debates. The implications of this complexity for planning and policy are briefly discussed.