This is the second in a short series of blogs reviewing recent literature on Zimbabwe’s land reform. The theme of gender and generation is a crucial one. Land reform changed gender relations as women gained access to land, sometimes in their own right. Old patriarchal relations typical of the communal areas were in some instances overturned as women gained opportunities as a result of land reform. This is not to say that the new scenario was truly equitable, as men have dominated certain areas of production – notably cash crops and large livestock – and very often control marketing, and so income flows to a household.
With men increasingly at home due to the decline in off-farm employment opportunities that once saw men moving to jobs in towns, mines or large-scale farms for periods of their lives. This old pattern of circular migration saw women take charge of the rural home as well as agricultural production. While migration has not ceased, a different pattern is seen and husbands and sons are more frequently around at home on the resettlement farms engaging in farming. With larger land areas, this requires a different type of farming to that seen in the communal areas, and for many households a more collaborative style of farming has emerged, involving both men and women and across generations.
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.
