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Ten years of land reform: The myths and realities of Zimbabwe’s experience
18 August 2010
The actual consequences of Zimbabwe's land reform counter the pessimistic picture often painted of the policy, according to newly published evidence.
A new Working Paper series, from the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded Livelihoods after Land Reform in Southern Africa programme, shows there is no one simple story behind the major reconfiguration of land use and economy that has unfolded since 2000.
The papers complement a forthcoming book, Zimbabwe's Land Reform: Myths & Realities, which examines the Zimbabwean experience through detailed empirical research over a decade.
Both come after years of debate about Zimbabwe's land reform which has been plagued by a lack of hard data on impacts and consequences.
Bringing the evidence together
To challenge the lack of research, during 2009 IDS, the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), at University of the Western Cape in South Africa, the African Institute for Agrarian Studies (AIAS) in Harare, the Centre for Applied Social Sciences Trust (CASS Trust) in Harare, and the Ruzivo Trust in Harare, came together to support a small grant competition aimed at generating insights based on original and recent field research by young Zimbabwean scholars.
The aim was to bring together solid, empirical evidence from recent research in the field. There were over 70 applicants and 15 small grants were offered.
Ian Scoones, Professorial Fellow at IDS and a member of the Livelihoods after Land Reform in Zimbabwe research team, commented: 'This work clearly shows there have been highly varied impacts of the post-2000 land reform - on rural livelihoods, on agricultural production, on markets and the economy, on farm workers and employment, on gender and social relations, on the environment, and on institutions and governance arrangements, for example.
'These impacts have played out in very different ways in different places. A complex picture emerges, but one that offers key pointers for the way forward. Overall, the findings counter the excessively pessimistic picture often painted about Zimbabwe's land reform, yet highlight important failings and future challenges.'
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A year on from the signing of the Zimbabwe’s Global Political Agreement, a key challenge remains around how to revitalise agriculture and secure livelihoods following land reform. A decade of IDS research on the topic is yielding important findings for future policies.
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