Agribusiness

Agriculture as a business

Rawlings Kofi
'Where others see dust we see Gold' A. Mhaka
A higher percentage of the Zimbabwe population live in the rural areas and farms. They have resources including land, labour and draught power enough to sustain their livelihoods but they are poor. Many depend on their relatives living in major cities for handouts. This is mainly so because to them agriculture is 'just' farming crops and raising livestock or a seasonal activity.

The majority of these farmers are small to medium sized and may not grow as long as farming is not  profitable or does not bring money. Successful farmers incorporate Agribusiness Management skills in production regardless of their scale, thereby deciding on the production system to follow. 

Agribusiness is a complex system throughout the whole value chain and all farm-to-fork business activities. The idea is to make agriculture profitable and contribute significantly to sustainable livelihoods. It also involves incorporating business and administrative elements in agricultural production. To understand agribusiness better, when walking in a grocery store, think about the number and types of diverse processes involved from production, harvesting, processing and marketing. 

This food production and marketing system is made up of hundreds of business from a poor rural farmer doing road runners to multinational corporations.  It is agribusiness that drives, directs farms, firms and brings together all players in the value chain. 

Where do you fit in? 

 







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