Land, Agrarian Reform in Zimbabwe Viewed from a Transformative Social Policy Perspective

Abstract

Much of the scholarly work on Zimbabwe’s land and agrarian reform has largely been premised on the “livelihoods”, “political economy” and the “neo-patrimonial” approaches; much to the neglect of other frameworks. This article attempts to analyse Zimbabwe’s post-2000 land reform experience from a transformative social policy perspective, utilising empirical data obtained from the 2013/14 Sam Moyo African Institute for Agrarian Studies’ six-district-baseline survey. The article argues that although the Fast Track Land Reform Programme has met the redistributive element of the transformative social policy agenda, the productive, protection and social cohesion potentials of the programme are still to reach their maximum potential due to a number of factors. Although a fraction of surveyed households is accumulating, the majority of the peasantry is shown to be struggling due to fundamental, domestic macro-economic challenges; constrained capacity of the state and external factors such as international isolation, which the country continues to face. Primary data utilised for this article was collected by distributing questionnaires in 1090 households in the districts of Chipinge, Chiredzi, Goromonzi, Kwekwe, Mangwe and Zvimba, which represent the country’s five agro-ecological zones. The data utilised was also collected from all the three settlement models (A1, A2 and Communal Areas).

The generational questions after land reform in Zimbabwe: a social reproduction perspective

“…The labour issue has become prominent and as has been shown in this paper, it has had both negative and positive consequences touching on the generational issues which have been raised. This study has been important to the body of knowledge on the FTLRP as exemplified by the work of Mazwi et al (2018), Chibwana (2016), Chipenda (2019), Tom and Chipenda and Tom (2018) who have argued that the FTLRP, if viewed from a transformative social policy perspective, has enhanced the productive capacities of the beneficiaries such that there are discernible and positive production, social reproduction (emphasis placed here), social protection, redistribution and social cohesion outcomes. From these scholars, emphasis is placed on the social production outcomes of the FTLRP and this paper has shown that indeed there are social reproduction outcomes of the FTLRP which need to be enhanced for the full realisation of the potential of the FTLRP.…”

Staple Crops Processing Zones, Food Security and Restoration of Local Food Systems in Zimbabwe

“…Food systems and food security have been disrupted and threatened since the late 1990s (FAO 2020). This has been due to different factors, such as the disruption of farming activities, destruction and lack of irrigation equipment, limited support to newly resettled farmers, constrained capacity of the state and private sector to support farmers, recurring droughts and drought spells, unfavourable economic climate and hyperinflation, international isolation and the disruption of agricultural value chains (Scoones et al 2011;Mazwi, Chibwana and Muchetu 2017;Waeterloos and Rutherford 2004;Scoones 2016;Tekwa and Adesina 2018).…”

South–South Cooperation in Agriculture: Impacts of Brazil’s More Food International Program on Post-Land Reform Social Organizations in Zimbabwe

“…The newly resettled farmers had to rely on the former large-scale farmers’ second-hand market for tractors services. After the 2000 reform, traditional Western partners not only reduced investments to Zimbabwe (Jones, 2011) but also imposed economic and political sanctions (Mazwi et al, 2017, p. 13; Mukwereza, 2015, p. 3). Zimbabwe explored several avenues to secure funding for agricultural mechanization using budgetary allocations and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) quasi-fiscal activities, as well as via the import activities of local private companies.…”