ABSTRACT
In much of the development literature, and especially the literature on rural development in Eastern and Southern Africa, trade and traders have been seen as the scapegoats of development. The trading enterprise may also play an important role in the organization of production. This chapter presents four cases of how trading functions are organized and what impact they have had on development in rural Zimbabwe: clothing trade and production, distribution of fertilizer, distribution of fruits and vegetables in the district service centres, and the development of general dealers in small rural business centres. Since independence the Government of Zimbabwe has pursued a policy of rural development comprising of investments in rural infrastructure and agricultural services and the development of a network of district service centres in the communal areas. The supply of clothing to the small town market is dominated by retail trade, and local production plays a relatively minor role.
