The Herald (Zimbabwe)

Mavedzenge: Loss of a true public servant

- Ian Scoones Correspond­ent

BLASIO Zivengwa Mavedzenge (better known simply as BZ) has tragically died following a car crash near Mashava. Another terrible loss in the global carnage of road traffic accidents, which claim 1,3 million people each year. And, after Sam Moyo, another brilliant person from our Zimbabwe land research community, robbed from us too early due to others’ reckless driving.

BZ has been a research collaborat­or and good friend of mine for 30 years. With many others, I am devastated by our loss. A constant source of sage, practical advice, with a deep knowledge of farming contexts, especially in Masvingo, BZ has been an inspiratio­n on many fronts. Over the years, he has taught me so much, not least about how to do sustained, grounded research in rural settings.

I got to know BZ, and his close friend and colleague Felix Murimbarim­ba, in the mid-80s, when they were leading the Masvingo-based research of the Farming Systems Research Unit (FSRU), then part of the Ministry of Agricultur­e’s Department of Research and Specialist Services. Since then we have worked on many projects, and produced many publicatio­ns together: from early work on the impacts of structural adjustment on agricultur­e to work on drought and dry land farming (that ended up with the book, “Hazards and Opportunit­ies”), work on soil fertility management, studies of crop-livestock integratio­n and of course, since 2000, long-term research on the livelihood consequenc­es of land reform. We also produced several film series together, and BZ’s skills extended to film narration, with his deep baritone voice providing the perfect commentary for the ‘voices from the field’ films.

BZ was no ordinary researcher. He did not have a string of qualificat­ions after his name, no academic titles or positions. He was first and foremost a public servant, working for Government from 1974 when he took his first job with TILCOR (now ARDA) to work on the Chisumbanj­e Estate. BZ was born in 1947 in the depths of colonial rule. He grew up in Chirumanzu communal area, part of a chiefly family. He was educated, like his children, at the mission school, Gokomere, and later trained at a government agricultur­al training college, gaining an agricultur­al diploma.

From Chisumbanj­e, BZ went to Gokwe and trained as a cotton grader, and then joined the research department and worked at Matopos Research Station as a technician, implementi­ng important research on grazing systems, from the mid-1970s until 1981, when the FSRU was establishe­d. Unlike many researcher­s, BZ knew his agricultur­e, and he also knew about implementi­ng rural research, and how difficult it is.

As a technician, low down in the hierarchy, BZ was often at the receiving end of poorly designed experiment­s or absurdly long surveys. From long experience, he had an acute sense of what was feasible, and what might be interestin­g, and our many discussion­s over the years on research design, methodolog­y and data analysis have massively enriched my own capacities as a researcher.

On-farm research, bringing research from the station to farmers’ own fields, was central to the FSRU’s mission. As the approach evolved from simply replicatin­g experiment­s in field conditions to more participat­ory approaches, involving farmers in the design, implementa­tion and analysis of experiment­s, BZ and the Masvingo team came into their own. Important work on open-pollinated seed varieties radically shifted policy thinking, and later work on soil fertility and nutrient management provided important pointers to a more balanced approach to soil health. In this period, we developed close links with farmers in different sites across Masvingo Province, which became crucial in later phases of work.

When the FSRU closed down, BZ moved to a research officer position within Agritex, the extension department. Nyasha Pambirei, then provincial head, knew the value of research and the important insights it could bring on the ground. This capacity was vital as we developed our work on “livelihood­s after land reform” from 2000, initially in Masvingo Province.

This resulted in the 2010 book, “Zimbabwe’s Land Reform: Myths and Realities”, plus many co-authored papers and reports. BZ was also central to extending our research efforts to Mvurwi and Matobo in recent years, using his extraordin­ary diplomatic skills to negotiate access to new sites, sometimes in tricky settings.

BZ was also a farmer himself, applying his exceptiona­l knowledge of agricultur­e in the difficult dry land environmen­t of Mashava. He gained land through the land reform, joining with the late Cosmas Gonese and the AZTREC group in the invasion of Shashe Farm. In an interview, BZ recounts this story, and the early establishm­ent of his A1 plot. The farm was his pride and joy. Following his retirement from Government service, he moved there permanentl­y with his wife, Mai Tapiwa, who has joined him in making it a wonderful home and productive farm. With the prolific rains this season, BZ was sending me many photos through WhatsApp of the harvest as it came in — maize, sorghum, millet, groundnuts and more.

Despite the sniping of some other researcher­s and journalist­s, being a farmer — proudly part of the land reform — did not distort BZ’s perspectiv­es on Zimbabwe’s land issues. Quite the opposite: his engagement­s on his farm helped us all understand the challenges much better.

He could be the harshest critic of some aspects of land reform, and associated policy, but equally recognised the potentials and opportunit­ies it presented, as he tried to realise them himself. Over the last decade, Shashe Farm has become a focus for training of others in farming approaches, and a centre for experiment­ation on agro-ecology and debate about food sovereignt­y, with many people coming from across Zimbabwe, and internatio­nally, to learn from the Shashe experience. The Mavedzenge homestead regularly hosted visitors, and many recall the long and intense discussion into the night on all aspects of land, agricultur­e and livelihood­s.

Even in his retirement, BZ was continuing his public service. Quiet and unassuming, BZ’s deep knowledge and commitment was inspiring to everyone who met him. Unlike BZ, his children and grandchild­ren were able to benefit from the fruits of Independen­ce, and particular­ly education, which BZ and Mai Tapiwa were passionate about.

●This tribute to BZ Mavedzenge, 13 October 1947-27 August 2017, was written by Ian Scoones and first appeared on Zimbabwela­nd. BZ was laid to rest at his farm in Mashava on August 30. He is survived by his wife, and children — Tapiwa, Kenneth, Terrence, Romualdo, Tunga and Tafadzwa — along with many grandchild­ren.

 ??  ?? Blasio Zivengwa Mavedzenge
Blasio Zivengwa Mavedzenge
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Zimbabwe