There are many different versions of ‘success’ in Zimbabwe’s A1 land reform areas as we found out across 11 different ‘success ranking’ exercises in our sites in Mazowe, Gutu, Masvingo and Matobo districts. A total of 208 people (113 men, 95 women) were involved in different workshops, and all proved lively and incredibly illuminating on the dynamics of change in land reform areas over 25 years.
Defining success
We discovered in our workshops how varied the different criteria for success are, with people highlighting aspects going well beyond standard metrics of asset ownership, income, housing quality and so on. Relationships, networks and connections were seen to be important in generating success, whether within a household through creating family cohesion or beyond, allowing flows of remittances and investment from relatives in far-flung places. A sense of belonging and obligation to the wider community and the appreciation of the opportunities of land reform was important for many too, as this generated the sort of commitment that success requires, they argued.
Success emerges not just from hard work of individuals and families but also as a result of the wider context. If there are no roads, schools, clinics and so on, success cannot emerge, even if private alternatives are sought by some individuals. Investments in public, community goods were seen as important, alongside individual accumulation from agriculture, livestock and off-farm work – ideally in an integrated, diversified way. All this is held together by the work of social reproduction, of unpaid caring labour, supporting children, managing health and so on.
This article is from Zimbabweland, a blog written by IDS Research Fellow Ian Scoones. Zimbabweland focuses on issues related to rural livelihoods and land reform in Zimbabwe.
