COVID-19 and the political economy of tobacco and maize commodity circuits

Makoronyera, the ‘connected’ and agrarian accumulation in Zimbabwe

From:
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Published
31 March 2021
Country:
Zimbabwe
Document Type:
Working Paper
Theme:
Agriculture, Economic Growth
Authors:
Shonhe, T

Abstract

This paper analyses the global commodity circuits – value chains – for maize and tobacco in Zimbabwe, in the context of a reconfigured agrarian economy and COVID-19 induced shocks. The study focuses on the political economy dynamics of agricultural commodity circuits to reveal how they can contribute to understanding the drivers and constraints of agricultural commercialisation in Zimbabwe. This paper traces the circuits of maize and tobacco, the two major crops for food security and foreign currency earnings in Zimbabwe.

This work is part of the APRA (Agricultural Policy Research Policy in Africa) Programme

Citation

Shonhe, T. (2021) COVID-19 and the Political Economy of Tobacco and Maize Commodity Circuits: Makoronyera, the ‘Connected’ and Agrarian Accumulation in Zimbabwe, APRA Working Paper 55, Brighton: Future Agricultures Consortium Toendepi Shonhe

Working Paper 55: COVID-19 and the political economy of tobacco and maize commodity circuits: Makoronyera, the ‘connected’ and agrarian accumulation in Zimbabwe

Published 31 March 2021
Contents