Joseph Made

Career

Joseph Made was Agricultural Rural Development Authority’s (ARDA)Chief Executive Officer and was also well versed with the land issue as one of ARDA's main responsibilities was training farmers and implementing rural development programmes.^[2] He was involved in the negotiations for the 1998 agreement on land redistribution. Former President Robert Mugabe appointed him as Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement in 2000.

Positions Held

• Joseph Made was made Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement, 2000- 2007.
• Made was nominated as Zanu-PF's candidate for the House of Assembly seat from Makoni West, a constituency in Manicaland, in the March 2008 parliamentary election.
• He was defeated by Webber Chinyadza of the Movement for Democratic Change led by Tsvangirai (MDC-T). When the Government of National Unity (GNU) was sworn in on February 13, 2009, Made was appointed as Minister of Agriculture.

Involvement in

Agriculture

As Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement, Made was reported to have led the Ministry to a period of food shortages during recurrent droughts.This was believed to have been caused by shortage of inputs and poor Government support mechanisms.^[3] He is also known for having taken a helicopter trip around the country and on that basis declared the country was about to enjoy a bumper maize harvest, only for the country to experience poor harvests.^[4][5]

As Agriculture minister Made was part of a 2005 'War Cabinet' that was described by the former President Robert Mugabe as the worst Cabinet in his reign.^[6]

Land Redistribution

During the land redistribution exercise in Zimbabwe, Made was reported to have commented that the Zimbabwean Government would not compensate the white farmers. Made reportedly told South Africa’s media that any payment of compensation to farmers evicted from their farms would be up to the British Government. Made said that Zimbabwe’s Government would pay for “improvements” (the buildings, fencing, dams, etc.) but could only afford to pay 25 percent now and the balance over 5 years.^[7]

Corruption

It was revealed that Made continued earning a salary from the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority ARDA after 10 years of leaving the institution. The reported salary was reported to be a gift for managing Robert Mugabe's farms.^[8]

Made was also reported to have presided over the looting of ARDA assets, among them land, tractors, combine harvesters, fuel and vehicles channeling them to senior Zanu-PF officials amongst them the president and to his own two farms in Manicaland province’s Headlands area.^[8]

Made was reportedly accused of having failed to rein in corruption at the Grain Marketing Board, which resulted in the selling of inputs meant for farmers and failure to ensure food security since 2000.^[6]

Genetically Modified Food Technologies

Made reportedly refused to lift a ban on Genetically Modified Food methods insisting instead that Government would concentrate on making available fertilizer, seeds, irrigation and other essential farm inputs to boost food production rather than use means that he said would have a detrimental impact on the environment. This was reported to have come after calls by some Ministers for the Government to consider producing Genetically Modified Food to increase the country's food security. Made was alleged to have argued that GMF was cheaper to produce, but costly in the long-term as they contaminated the environment and harmed biodiversity.^[9]

Recovery of Idle Equpment

New and old farming and hospital equipment most of which was lying idle, was recovered at former Agriculture Minister Joseph Made’s farm in Headlands on 21 December 2017. Among them were; 2006 rotten maize seed, generators, wheelchairs and unused storage bags (masaga) from the Presidential inputs scheme were recovered. Pictures of the Required Equipment

References