Bottlenecks to integrated rural development planning in Zimbabwe: a focus on the Midlands province

Abstract

The study sought to identify factors hindering effective integrated development planning in Zimbabwe. In this study specific focus was on the Midlands province, one of the 8 rural administrative provinces of the country. The study was largely qualitative in research approach. Data were collected mainly through interviews conducted among a total of 66 key informants. The key informants interviewed were purposively sampled from a population of development agencies operating at both national and sub-national levels in the country. The results of the study showed that lack of a shared vision among stakeholders and stakeholder frustration due to non-implementation of plans formulated in an integrated fashion and style have been among he major factors hindering an effective integrated approach to development planning in Zimbabwe.