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Agriculture and food security
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ)
Extracted from Weekly Media Update 2007-40
Monday October 8th - Sunday October 14th 2007
October 18, 2007

During the week the official media papered over Zimbabwe's precarious food security situation with positive reports on government's mechanisation programme, which they narrowly projected as the cure-all for the country's ailing agricultural sector. This was reflected in the 77 stories they carried on the topic and other related developments: ZBC (43) and government papers (34). For example, they did not question how the plan, which saw government doling out mostly animal-drawn implements to farmers, would translate into increased agricultural production on its own without government also addressing the critical shortage other essential inputs such as fuel and electricity, blamed for this year's disastrous winter wheat crop.

Neither did they identify the groups benefiting from the mostly animal-drawn implements, nor explain the criteria for their selection. The Herald (10/10), for example, vaguely cited "proven productivity records . . . as guided by headmen, chiefs, provincial governors and other local leaders".

Moreover, there was no questioning the impartiality of the selectors, considering that previously they have been accused of discriminating against perceived opposition supporters, especially in the distribution of government food relief programmes. The previous day, The Herald and Chronicle (9/10) passively quoted President Mugabe dismissing allegations that the distribution of farm implements was a vote-buying tactic.

Such passive coverage also characterised the government media's coverage of food shortages such as bread and mealie-meal. They either reported the authorities blaming scarcities on industry (ZTV 9/10, 6pm) or simply diverted attention from such shortages with official promises that government was "doing its best to procure enough food" Spot FM (13/10, 8pm).

Equally, they failed to examine the implications of government's continued eviction of the few remaining white farmers, 11 of whom were reported to face the risk of losing their land after they had lost their application to have their case referred to the Supreme Court (The Sunday Mail 14/10). In fact, ZTV (10/10, 8pm) simply avoided addressing the confusion and policy contradictions surrounding the matter, only reporting Vice-President Joseph Msika "taking a swipe" at some politicians in Mashonaland West for "squabbling for land".

The government media dependence on official comment is illustrated in Figs 1 and 2.

Fig: 1 Voice distribution on ZBC

Fig: 2 Voice distribution in the government papers

The private media however, reported on the issue of declining agricultural productivity, attributing this to poor planning and on-going farm disturbances. They questioned the effectiveness of government's mechanisation plan in light of its continued seizures of white-owned farms, which they noted, still persists even as the farming season begins.

The Financial Gazette (11/10) and The Zimbabwe Independent (12/10), for instance, reported how the army and ruling party officials continued to hound the few remaining white farmers off their land. The Independent contended that the evictions endangered Reserve Bank governor's turnaround efforts as "most of the affected farmers had benefited from the Agriculture Sector Production Enhancement Facility".

They also exposed contradictions in government policy over the matter. For example, while The Zimbabwe Times (8/10) reported that Lands Minister Didymus Mutasa had said government was going ahead with "removing the remaining whites" because "too many blacks are still clamouring for land", Studio 7 (11/10) reported Vice-President Joseph Msika criticizing Mutasa for "disobeying a top level directive to stop offering land and halt farm invasions" in Mashonaland West.

The private media also updated the extent of the food shortages facing the country.

ZimOnline (8/10), for example, reported US-based famine-monitoring organisation FEWSNET saying more than 40 percent of Zimbabwe's rural population would need "urgent food aid" between this month and March 2008 "to avert starvation".

The sourcing patterns of the private media are shown in Figs 3 and 4.

Fig: 3 Voice distribution in the private electronic media

Fig 4: Voice distribution in the private Press

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