Labour after Land Reform: The Precarious Livelihoods of Former Farmworkers in Zimbabwe

Abstract

What happens to labour when major redistributive land reform restructures a system of settler colonial agriculture? This article examines the livelihoods of former farmworkers on large‐scale commercial farms who still live in farm compounds after Zimbabwe's land reform. Through a mix of surveys and in‐depth biographical interviews, four different types of livelihood are identified, centred on differences in land access. These show how diverse, but often precarious, livelihoods are being carved out, representing the ‘fragmented classes of labour’ in a restructured agrarian economy. The analysis highlights the tensions between gaining new freedoms, notably through access to land, and being subject to new livelihood vulnerabilities. The findings are discussed in relation to wider questions about the informalization of the economy and the role of labour and employment in a post‐settler agrarian economy, where the old ‘farmworker’ label no longer applies.

Small Towns and Land Reform in Zimbabwe

“…In Mvurwi in particular, former workers in commercial farms no longer have jobs on farms and have had to seek alternatives. Some have left, but many have stayed and become engaged in supporting new forms of local agriculture and become involved in town-based business activities (Scoones et al 2019a ). Women and young people are especially important players in the new informal economy of these small towns.…”

Echoes From the Rocks: Contextualising Land Reform and Resettled Farmer Experiences in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe

“…In terms of employment figures, only 50 households (24%) employed a permanent worker, though shared ploughing labour practices (called amalima) were standard. This reflects a broader fragmentation of rural labour classes post land reform (Scoones et al, 2019b). Of the 81.2% of A1 plots in the sample registered with the lands office, only 18.8% were allocated to women.…”

“…Despite the drier conditions in Matabeleland South, the heterogeneous ecological conditions in the hills continue to produce varied agricultural outcomes, where livestock and in places mixed farming can be successful, but where vulnerability, as well as resilience, is a prevalent feature of livelihood struggles and rural class formation. While changes in the livestock sector servicing both A1 and A2 farmers has been significant and reflective of broader changes integrated into the post-FTLRP agrarian economy (Scoones et al, 2019b;Shonhe, 2019), cropping has had mixed successes and challenges. A key finding of this article is that the livelihood struggles of some contemporary beneficiaries have historical precedent in settler struggles and underdevelopment in the region.…”

“…There has been a particular surge of papers since 2016 on diverse reform themes as they relate to: radical social transformation (Mazwi et al, 2017;Murisa, 2016); persistent elite capture (Mazwi and Mudimu, 2019;Mazwi et al, 2018); new patterns of rural development (Shonhe, 2019); traditional authority (Dande and Mujere, 2019); and food security (Mangwanya and Manyeruke, 2019). Studies also explore impacts for differentiated social groups, including farmworkers (Hartnack, 2017;Scoones et al, 2019b), youth (Nyamupingidza, 2018;Scoones et al, 2019a), white farmers (Nel, 2020) and actors entering contract arrangements over land utilisation and commodity production (Mazwi et al, 2020;Sachikonye, 2016). As in other contexts where globalising or nationalising processes come into friction with local realities (Tsing, 2011) it is increasingly clear that highly variable outcomes, diverse challenges and surprising successes and results are experienced in varied localised contexts (Fontein, 2015;Scoones et al, 2012;Spierenburg, 2016).…”

Agricultural commercialisation and changing labour regimes in Zimbabwe

“…Labour was both resident (living in labour compounds) and temporary, with seasonal variations depending on the production system (Rutherford 2001). The new agrarian structure has generated diverse forms of wage labour, linked to new livelihood patterns (Moyo 2011;Chambati 2013Chambati , 2017Scoones et al 2018a). A much greater variety of labour provisioning arrangements is seen, and many former farmworkers are now taking up farming, besides selling labour.…”