Agricultural Expenditure ror Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction in Zimbabwe

Abstract

A vibrant and an efficient agricultural sector would enable a country to feed its growing population, generate employment, earn foreign exchange and provide· raw materials for industries. The agricultural sector has a multiplier effect on any nation's socio-economic and industrial fabric because of the multifunctional nature of agriculture. The main objective of this study was to investigate how government expenditure on agriculture has affected economic growth in Zimbabwe from 1980-2009. The Log linear growth regression model was employed where gross domestic gross was the dependant variable, and the explanatory variables are the factors which affect it which include government agricultural expenditure. The expenditures of government on agriculture were divided into three functions namely extension, credit assistance and R & D.