ABSTRACT
This chapter explores to make a case for the relevance of Foucault's notion of governmentality in analysing the ways power is exercised in the government of poverty and development in Zimbabwe's rural areas. The alleviation of rural poverty has been at the heart of development interventions in Zimbabwe, and the broader state-led development project must be understood in the context. Attempts to account for the source of rural poverty in Zimbabwe should take into account, among other things, the structure of the country's agricultural sector. Historically, the Zimbabwean agricultural sector operated on a dualistic pattern. Rural-based and small-scale farms mainly produced food crops like maize and other grain crops for local consumption. Both sectors were pivotal in the production of surplus food for export. In the field of education, positive gains were recorded with the establishment of free and compulsory education, increase in enrolment, improvement in literacy and numeracy levels and also a high regard for post-school academic qualifications.
