A systems approach to development : sectoral planning and policy control of rural household food security in Zimbabwe

Abstract

This thesis entitled: A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO DEVELOPMENT: Sectoral Planning and Policy Control of Rural Household Food Security in Zimbabwe, explores development planning with respect to the well-being and, specifically the food requirement of individuals in poor rural households.

Zimbabwe is chosen because of its much publicized achievement in that it attained higher levels of food supplies in the mid and late 1980s than any other country in sub-Saharan Africa. However, there has always existed a paradox to Zimbabwe's 'success story' whereby, amidst food surplus, poor rural households have been faced with continuous food crises.

The study relies on secondary data and information, mainly obtained from sources in Canada and Zimbabwe.

The systems approach is associated with the idea of separate components and how they interrelate. Understanding systemic interaction among parts is vital because the modification and redistribution of development goals across society requires these parts to be reorganized and restructured into a working and beneficial whole: a system.

Practically, however, the case of Zimbabwe indicates that most of the system parts and policy elements were indeed considered during the pre-modelling stage. Instead they are now incompatible due to irregularities and the biases which stem from the established institutional arrangements created to promote interaction and integrity of the system.

In the final analysis, it is shown that fundamental policy weaknesses are the main cause of deficiencies in Zimbabwe's food security system. Above all, it is established that the systems model of analysis is very useful because it isolates phenomena and splits elements into units small enough to facilitate the design of remedies to identified weaknesses.

Finally, it will be argued that common problems of development in the Third World can be ameliorated by concentrating research in rural communities rather than in centres of political and economic activities. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)