RESTRICTED Report No. PA-118a Public Disclosure Authorized This report is for official use only by the Bank Group and specifically authorized organizations or persons. It may not be published, quoted or cited without Bank Group authorization. The Rank Group dosnot acenp resnonshibiliy for the ---ray orcr.ltn f th rpot INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENr INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION Public Disclosure Authorized AGRICULTURAL SECTOR SURVEY REPUBLIC OF ZAIRE (in three volumes) VOLUME II Public Disclosure Authorized ANNEXES 1 THROUGH 6 June 19, 1972 Public Disclosure Authorized Aogri niut ulr P =lnt-r DoTpon rtment BACKGROUND DATA US$1 = 0.5 zaires (Z) or i0 ri-La'ruta (1x) One zaire = 2.0 US$ Total Land Area 234.5 million ha (905,000 square miles) of which (i) Forests 102.3 million ha (ii) Cultivated land 2.3 million ha (iii) Permanent pasture 2.3 million ha (iv) Savannahs, mountains, rivers and lakes 127.6 million ha Population (Official estimate, 1970) 21.6 million Distribution: Rural 70% : Urban 30% Annual rate of growth, 1958-70: 3.9% Gross Domestic Product Total, 1970 (est.) Z 1,014 million (US$2,028 million) Per canita. 1970 (est.): Z 47 (US$94) Agricultural output as % of GDP, 1969: 18% Commercialized production: 10% Subsistence production: 8% Agricultural Exports and Imports Value of Agricultural Exports, 1969: US$97 million Share of Total Exports: 14.5% Principal export products: palm oil, coffee, rubber, wood products, tea Value of Agricultural Imports, 1968: US$56 million Share of Total Imports: 11% Principal imports: cereals, fish and fish products, meat and dairy products, fruit and vegetables, tobacco Cnn9u.mpr Prrire Index (IRES - Kinsghaa) June 1970 (June 1960 = 100) 1,454 GENER.AL NOTE ON DATA The statistical data available on most facets of the economy and population of the Republic of Zaire are quite unreliable for the post--Independence periods -- a fact which official publications readily acknowledge. This report will cite data from time to time for illustrative purposes, but no attempt has been made to subject: the data to extensive analysis of any kind.. Quantitative statements do appear in the report, but probably with less frequency than in other Bank doctments, and should always be regarded with some caution. This general qualifying note is introduced at the beginning of the report to alert the reader, and to avoid constant repetition of the same point wherever data are cited. ANNEX 1 Page REPUBLIC OF ZAIRE AGRICuLMu-RAL SECTOR SUKVEY Farm Systems and Organization 1. There are two major classes of farm systems in Zaire: the set of farming practices known as traditional farming, and the set of farm- ing practices known as commercial or plantation agriculture. Traditional farming concerns mainly food crops, small livestock, and very limited nun- bers of cattle; it is done in very small units; it uses very little capital and almost no purchased inputs; agricultural techniques are based on exper- ience; the rate of innovation is relatively low; and production is predom- inantly for self-subsistence. Commercial agriculture concerns mainly export crops', sugarcane, and cattle ranching: it is carried out in very large units; it is capital intensive; it uses only purchased inputs and advanced farming techniques; the rate of experimentation and innovation is often very rapid; and above all it produces only for the market.. 2. In addition to these two major classes, there are many intermed- iate farm types that do not fit neatly into either category. For example, the horticultural farms near Kinshasa are usually very small and labor in- tensive, but they are market-oriented and often demonstrate a high rate of innovation in techniques or in cropping. In the Bas Zaire, cattle rais- ing is carried out using techniques and attitudes that are not entirely tra- ditional in type, but which at the same time are not commercial. Neverthe- less, although both traditional and commercial agriculture embrace a wide range of farming practices, and although there are many intermediate farm types that fit into neither category, the distinction between the two major classes of farming is clear, the differences are immense jnd of fundamental importance. A. Traditional Farming Major Characteristics 3. Traditional peasant agriculture is based on growing food crops fol- lowing well-established crop rotations. The type of crop rotation depends on bioclimatic conditions (savannah or forest) and the necessity to restore soil fertility through fallowing after several years of cultivation. The main crops, which constitute the staple food for both the rural and the urban pop- ulation are cassava. rice, and nlantain in the forest area and cassava, maize and groundnuts in the savannah. In the highlands, beans and peas also play an imnortant role. The fgllow neriod in the forest is of the order of 10 to 15 years, and in the savannah of six to 10 years. ANNEX 1 Page 2 4. The most striking characteristic of traditional farming is its variety. Crop mixes, cultivation methods, preferred tools, land clearing methods, and length of fallow periods - they all vary. The variety of tra- ditional agriculture is caused by many factors -- climate, ecological condi- tions, scientific knowledge, capital resources, market availability, and at- titudes of groups of people and of individuals -- all of which vary as among different places. In some parts of Zaire, one sees tribes who appear to work hard and farm well, and who look relatively healthy and well-fed. In other areas, one encnimters grouns Twho exhibit quite contrarv characteristics. One hears of groups of people who respond quickly to economic incentives, who adopt new techniques easily or who adapt themselves to new conditions easily. And one hears of others not so flexible. S Much of this variationn in t-he response of indiv4iuidil and groups may be explained by differences in climate or health and diet, but some part also seems attribhiiit-a1l t-n the snoial pneraonliti- nf nprt-icunr t-ribehp. Snom tribes respond quickly to the opportunity to earn cash incomes, others re- spond Tnre clwlu ; omp tri4hp put a high valuatior.on n.n leaisure time, others do not. That is to say, some areas would lend themselves more favor- blhiv than nthers tn aariculturAl nromntion nr eyti-nsinn wnrk nont becsetR their natural resources are better, but because the people living there are mnre recentive- 6.A further cause of Uvariation lies in the effectuiness and weigh- of the administration, both appointed and traditional. Where the adminis- tration and local chIefs support and a4d the rural populaion, one car. - pect substantial collaboration and interest in agricultural development. Where the local administra#4or. ep1loi4t t-he rural population wIth fines, marginally legal taxes and levies, and long-run impositions of compulsory lablor, the populati-. i8 ar.d to giv litle .ollabo-I, a.aL.J... ~ a UA,J- .L -lbely- #-o% IleJ~U apathetic--.LnC~%LLA.. M L.~ 5 .LV = Ji.S. LL %WLU~LuUU ration on agricultural development. Moreover, the personality of the indi- V %.&UUJC L.flfX-A.- O .LO 6LQfl* . M P U " .L -C. %.V LL1%ULiI.. D%ULL .L a LCU1L) ~.L±S.) O.iU L0 S, L.1U ulate the social organization to achieve defined goals. 7. However, traditional farming does have some major characteristics that are common to most types. F'rst is the very limited use of capital ana purchased inputs. Second is the division of labor between men and women. Third is the system of lard ownership and land use in most areas of tradi- tional farming. 8. The main input in peasant agriculture is the farm family's own la- bor. Normally, there is very little specialization between families in villages. The division of labor between men and women is quite distinct. Generally, the major responsibilities of men include hunting, forest clear- ing and hut building; where there are cattle, these too are the men's responsi- bility. Women's responsibilities include sowing, cultivation, weeding, har- vesting and post-harvest processing and marketing, besides the household chores and fetching water and firewood. Year-round, the women appear fully occupied; the men on the other hand are not. In consequence, the chief labor constraint on raising output is the availability of womens' labor. ANNEX 1 Page 3 9. ~~The domir.ant fomm of l-anA t-enure is thLa t of cla- property- . Thle land belongs to the community and there is no individual ownership. However, the crop areL CYO -Lwy V.iniuA.l pL%JF-L y aLnU LhL.Ls Lr.LriLL :; sLLtLrct.Ly LrseF--%-L ed. In certain cases, this crop ownership right extends also to the fallow, and this canr be considered as an hereditary land-use right. Abandoned plots revert automatically to the community. The size of the plot cultivated by a familyIc I _ inj any given .__year varies fromI aDout. 0.6.I ha in rorest areas to 1-2 ha in the savannah, depending on local conditions. 10. This system is satisfactory as long as populatlon density ren.ains low and there is plenty of land available. This is the case over most part of Zaire, and there appears to be no pressing need to change this land- holding system. However, in a few restricted areas where a high population density has developed, the disadvantage of this land tenure system for in- tensification of agricultural production becomes apparenit. These areas are mostly in the vicinity of large urban centers, a few territories in the east- ern highlands, and along densely populated roads (as in the Kasai). The main disadvantage of the communal landholding system for these areas is that tarmers are not willing to make investments for land improvement -- such as terracing, erosion control, small irrigations and fencing -- on land that they do not own.