Three smallholder villages located in typical communal (from 1948), old (1987) and new (2002) resettlement areas, on loamy
sand, sandy loam and clay soils, respectively, were selected to explore differences on natural resource management and land
productivity. Focus group discussions and surveys were carried out with farmers. Additionally, farmers in three wealth classes
per village were chosen for a detailed assessment of their main production systems. Maize grain yields (t ha1
) in the communal
(15–40) and new resettlement areas (19–43) were similar but significantly higher than in the old resettlement area (09–27),
despite lower soil quality in the communal area. Nutrient input use was the main factor controlling maize productivity in the
three areas (R2 ¼ 59–83%), while soil quality accounted for up to 12%. Partial N balances (kg ha1 yr1
) were significantly
lower in the new resettlement (91 to þ143) and old resettlement (þ74 to þ96) than in the communal area (þ21 to þ596)
due to lower nutrient applications. Averaged P balances were usually negative. Consistently, maize yields, nutrient applications
and partial N balances were higher in the high wealth class than in poorer classes. This study found that most farmers in the new
resettlement area were exploiting the inherent soil nutrient stocks more than farmers in the other two areas. We argue that
effective policies supporting an efficient fertilizer distribution and improved soil management practices, with clearer rights to
land, are necessary to avoid future land degradation and to improve food security in Zimbabwe, particularly in the resettlement
areas. Copyright