Zimbabwe's economy is heavily reliant on its agriculture sector. Until 2000, there were two dominant subsectors: a large-scale commercial subsector with a relatively small number of large farms located mostly on the better land; and a large number of small farms in the smallholder subsector. Most of the fertilizer use was in the large-scale subsector, with only one-fifth of smallholders using fertilizers. In 2000, the State initiated an agrarian reform policy and took over most of the large-scale farming area for redistribution. Fertilizer consumption has since fallen sharply. There is concern about degradation of the often fragile soils. Fertilizer production has fallen as a consequence of both reduced demand and financial difficulties encountered by manufacturers.
TC/D/A0395E/1/2
