Institute of Development Studies

Livelihoods After Land Reform

This collaborative project, which involves IDS and is led by the Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) in South Africa, asks: to what extent is land redistribution in southern Africa achieving poverty reduction and livelihood improvement objectives?

Despite commitments to land reform, impacts have not been accurately assessed. By collecting empirical data in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, comparing across sites in three national settings, and synthesising findings, the project will provide insights into livelihood impacts and wider patterns of agrarian change in post-land reform settings in southern Africa.

It will also seek to understand the conditions that result in poverty reduction following land redistribution, advance conceptual thinking about post-settlement livelihood options, and develop replicable methodological approaches for assessing impacts at different scales.

Visit the website (www.lalr.org.za)

• IDS key contact: Ian Scoones
• Project dates: October 2006 - December 2009
• Project status: Open
• Funder: Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC); Department for International Development (DFID)

Researchers

• Ian Scoones
• Will Wolmer, Independent Consultant
• Ben Cousins, Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) South Africa
• Edward Lahiff, Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS)
• M Aliber, HSRC, South Africa
• Nelson Marongwe, Centre for Applied Social Sciences, University of Zimbabwe
• Chrispen Sukume, Dept of Agricultural Economics, University of Zimbabwe
• B.Z. Mavedzenge, Independent Consultant, Zimbabwe
• Wolfgang Werner, DRFN, Namibia
• Bertus Kruger, DRFN, Namibia/Northwest University, South Africa
• Daniel Motinga, executive director of the Namibian Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR)