Viticulture still relevant in the Zimbabwe economy? Viticulture by Regina Pasipanodya - October 30, 2019October 31, 20190 Image Credits: The Porto Protocol Viticulture still relevant in the Zimbabwe economy?Grape farming and wine production in Zimbabwe remain an unexploited agricultural sector in the country as compared to other neighboring countries in Sub-Saharan African such as South Africa.In South Africa, wine production has been contributing immensely to the country’s economy and Zimbabwe, on the other hand, has failed to explore more into that sector to increase revenue collection.It has been noted that a significant, albeit small, foreign exchange earner shortly after independence in 1980 was the viticultural industry in Zimbabwe although the sector failed to last long. There have been several contributing factors to the death of viticulture in Zimbabwe. For instance, the change in climatic conditions, lack of electricity and water for irrigation. All these factors contributed to difficulties of the farmers to sustain a business in viticultureMore than any other factor, the quality of the grapes determines the quality of the wine.Grape quality is affected by variety as well as weather during the growing season; soil minerals and acidity, time of harvest and pruning method, as discovered by the Romans.According to masterclass.com viticulture is the scientific study of grapes, most often with a focus on growth and production. When the grapes are being used specifically for wine production, the study of grapes can also be called viniculture. Both viniculture and viticulture fall under the umbrella of horticulture image credits-world atlas Share on Facebook Share Share on TwitterTweet Share on Pinterest Share Share on LinkedIn Share Share on Digg Share