Zimbabwe’s ‘cell phone farmers’ vs. Zambia’s real farmers
November 22nd, 2006
This Sokwanele cartoon picks up on the fact that Mugabe’s fast track land-redistribution policy has benefitted the elite and Zanu-PF supporters rather than re-dressing inequalities and helping the landless poor majority. These ‘new farmers’ are locally referred to as ‘cell phone farmers’, using their mobile telephones to issue instructions from a comfortable distance, seldom getting their hands dirty. In contrast, Zambia, post Mugabe’s fast track land distribution policy, is enjoying a vibrant surge in their farming sector. Their farmers and farmworkers – many of whom are former Zimbabweans – farm the traditional way. The result is a country that does not need food aid.
