Partnerships for Unlocking Potentials in Groundnut Value Chains in Zimbabwe
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Citation
Sabine Homann-Kee Tui, Andre van Rooyen. (31/12/2015). Partnerships for Unlocking Potentials in Groundnut Value Chains in Zimbabwe.
Abstract
Groundnuts are an important crop in Zimbabwe, grown by a large proportion of smallholder farmers (36%);
groundnuts are second after maize in terms of area coverage. Groundnuts can provide an important source of
food and nutrition, feed and soil amendment, as well as income. However, despite its importance, groundnut
production and productivity has remained low and stagnant at less than 0.5 t/ha, yet yields between 3 and 4
t/ha can be achieved from improved varieties developed by research in the country. Cause for low groundnut
production and productivity is the absence of a well-integrated seed system and functional grain value chains:
1. Poor access to quality seed of improved varieties – while released varieties yield more than 80% of the
local varieties, varieties with high market demand are not available and farmers are therefore forced to use
retained seed of landraces. 2. Poor functioning of grain markets – while the demand for groundnut products is
increasing, as consumers seek affordable sources of protein, small- and large-scale industries failing to source
groundnuts locally, import groundnuts, notably from Malawi, Zambia and South Africa.
In this brief we advocate partnerships among government, agro-businesses and smallholder farmers as an
effective way for increasing groundnut production and creating more efficient groundnut value chains
in Zimbabwe.
