Section 2 discusses the land reform programme in zimbabwe since. The effect of the fast track phase of land reform on the financial sector was catastrophic, because most banks in zim held collectively billions of dollars worth of bonds on the commerci. Land reform can, therefore, refer to transfer of ownership from the more powerful to the less powerful, such as. The distribution was unequal and gender insensitive. Ministry of lands, agriculture, and rural settlement, june 2001. Pdf an analysis of zimbabwes indigenisation and economic.
But in 2002, makhadi and his family were among 700 households. Johannesburg, 3 october irin zimbabwes fasttrack land reform programme has ignored the critical role played by the commercial farming sector. Images of chaos, destruction and violence have dominated the coverage. Oct 15, 2018 in zimbabwe, land reform was absolutely necessary to address past land injustices, but mugabes land reform was simply exploiting the necessity of land reform for purely selfish gain. Pdf overall impacts of fast track land reform programme. A critical analysis of the land reform programme in zimbabwe. He dropped out and lived, unemployed, in a humble dwelling along with 10 members of his extended family.
Communal land, property rights and traditional leadership current context what is at stake. There is widespread agreement on the need for land reform in zimbabwe as a means of reducing poverty. Land reform is a zimbabwe success story it will be the. This pdf is made available under a creative commons. The concept of land reform has varied over time according to the range of functions which land itself has. What were the effects of the land reform program in. Oct 03, 2002 johannesburg, 3 october irin zimbabwe s fasttrack land reform programme has ignored the critical role played by the commercial farming sector in the economy, analysts and farmers have warned. Zimbabwe s president robert mugabe admits failures in the countrys controversial land reform programme, saying some farms were too big. Zimbabwe government for the purpose of land redistribution1. Pdf the research analysed the impacts of land reform programme on politico economic development in zimbabwe using the case of umguza district.
Land reform programme ftlrp, which started in 2000, has created an expanded number and array of small, medium and large scale farms, and effectively transferring ownership from the minority. A quantitative analysis of zimbabwes land reform policy core. Economic benefits and costs of land redistribution in zimbabwe in. Land has been a source of political conflict in zimbabwe since colonization, when the country was known as rhodesia, both within indigenous black communities and especially between white settlers and the black rural communities. Zimbabwes often violent land reform programme has not been the complete economic disaster widely portrayed, a study by the uks institute of development studies at sussex university finds. Land reform in zimbabwe officially began in 1980 with the signing of the lancaster house agreement, as an effort to more equitably distribute land between black subsistence farmers and white zimbabweans of european ancestry, who had traditionally enjoyed superior political and economic status. A total of 712 of these claims, for 292 995 hectares, were settled between 2009 and december.
Zimbabwes president robert mugabe admits failures in the countrys controversial land reform programme, saying some farms were too big. The invasion of the largely whiteowned farms, accompanied by violent evictions and wholesale and wanton destruction and looting in 2000, led to a crisis between the judiciary and the executive that resulted in most of the judiciary being forced out of office. In a report featured on irin news, the issue of landownership and land reform is dealt with in depth. Zimbabwe embarked on the fast track land reform programme ftlrp in the year 2000, under a tense and often violent political climate as well as worsening socioeconomic crisis and waning support for the ruling party which was facing enormous challenge from an emerging and. This study focused on the significance of land reform programme in zimbabwe. Robert mugabe promised a new revolutionary land reform programme, to. Land reform also agrarian reform, though that can have a broader meaning involves the changing of laws, regulations or customs regarding land ownership. In the early years of the reforms, the programme captured international attention and imagination, while in zimbabwe itself it radically altered peoples lives and livelihoods, and at the same time reawakened peoples memories of the past.
An adapted version of this paper appears in the edited collection post independence land reform in zimbabwe, published in may 2004 by the friedrich ebert stiftung in harare. Other donor organisations, including the world bank, usaid, overseas development institute and the european union eu also showed great interest in supporting the land reform. Land reform is probably one of the most difficult domestic policy issues to be dealt with by zimbabwe, namibia, south africa and australia. In this section, we zero in on masvingo province in the central south and east of the country. Land reform is a deeply political process and therefore many arguments for and against it have emerged. For example, in the twentieth century, many land reforms emerged from a particular political ideology, such as communism or socialism. This paper assesses the potential consequences of a land reform scheme that draws on proposals. Overturning the settler colonial pattern of land use and creating a new agrarian structure has had farreaching consequences. This has involved a detailed study of what happened to peoples. The study is also premised on the recognition that there is a lack. This is further corroborated by literature from undergraduate and postgraduate students who have done researchwork on resettlement areas, especially in masvingo province.
The land reform in zimbabwe was organised in line with that slogan and had the following basic elements of speed, which made it to be known as the fast track land reform. The social, political and economic transformative impact of the fast track land reform programme on the lives of women farmers in goromonzi and vungugweru districts of zimbabwe page 1 table of contents list of tables, figures and boxes ii introduction 1 1. Land reform and agricultural production in zimbabwe. The land reform and property rights in zimbabwe of 2010 is a sequel report to the 2007, adding insult to injury, a preliminary report on human rights violations on commercial farms 20002005.
Before the fast track land reform programme ftlrp, the aers were broadly and loosely. The land reform programme in zimbabwe has been a major area of international discussion for almost five years now. This website presents material linked to an ongoing research project in masvingo province in the southeast of the country. The ftlrp was launched in 2000 with the primary objective of accelerating both land acquisition and redistribution. A total of 712 of these claims, for 292 995 hectares, were settled between 2009 and december 2011, against a target of 1 845 claims for the period. Zimbabwes political and socioeconomic map since 2000. An examination of the significance of land reform programme. Land reform and agricultural development introduction this chapter investigates the relationship between agriculture and land reform and attempts to determine what type1 of land reform programme 1 would be appropriate. Nov 18, 2010 zimbabwe s often violent land reform programme has not been the complete economic disaster widely portrayed, a study by the uks institute of development studies at sussex university finds. That can include governmentinitiated property redistribution, transfer of ownership and the rights of the land. Speeding up the identification for compulsory acquisition of not less than. In zimbabwe, land reform was absolutely necessary to address past land injustices, but mugabes land reform was simply exploiting the necessity of land reform for purely selfish gain.
Overall impacts of fast track land reform programme. In the attempt to untangle the various consequences of land redistribution, drought and economic reform, use is made of a unique data set comprising longitudinal information on two groups of households. The land reform programme was described as illegal and a failure. Chisango1 and ajuruchukwu obi2 department of agricultural economics and extention university of fort hare, alice abstract a development goal pursued by the zimbabwean government even before the muchmaligned fast. The programmes stated targets were intended to alter the ethnic balance of land ownership. Background to the research 2 land reform in zimbabwe 3. Robert mugabe was displaced as president partly by pressure from the war veterans, who he led to victory in zimbabwes independence struggle. Indeed, these have been part of the reality but there have also been successes, which have thus far gone largely unrecorded. But despite the general consensus not to repeat zimbabwes economic disaster, few people disagree that land ownership needs to be reformed in south africa. Africa zimbabwe s fasttrack land reform shows little benefit 15 years on. Jan 28, 20 land reform in zimbabwe is the greatest flop in the world but a success in the eyes of zanu pfutseki. Robert mugabe admits zimbabwes land reform flaws bbc news. Zimbabwe, on one side of the spectrum, is facing a crisis in democratisation due to its radical approach to land reform. Robert mugabe wanted to use his land reform program to eliminate the traces of colonialism by giving farms to black.
Broader issues of land reform, including redistribution, are beyond. Land reform in the twenty years after independence. Efficiency effects zimbabwes agricultural mechanization. Benefits and costs of land reform in zimbabwe with implications for southern africa, klaus deininger, hans hoogeveen and bill kinsey. The need for land reform south africa suffered a long history of colonization, racial domination and land dispossession that resulted in the bulk of the agricultural land being owned by a white minority. Thus, mashonaland east province was selected as a case study because historically this province suffered a lot in the first and second chimurenga wars.
Efficiency effects zimbabwes agricultural mechanization and fast track land reform programme. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the land. The government published its policy framework for the land reform and resettlement programme phase ii lrrp ii and gather financial support for it. Last week new zimbabwe president emmerson mnangagwa promised compensation to white farmers who lost their land during the disastrous expropriation of land by his. As a zimbabwean working with former farm workers in zimbabwe, i would have to say that, from my experience, the land reform programme has been as destructive as the media makes out. We use data on programme beneficiaries and a control group of communal farmers who. This article looks at the history of the land question in zimbabwe over the past decade. Land reform may consist of a governmentinitiated or governmentbacked property redistribution, generally of agricultural land. But equally as valid is the view that the case for land reform needed to be reinforced because of the failure of zimbabwes friends and sponsorsthe multilateral and bilateral agencies especiallyto persuade robert mugabe that land reform was too important to be neglected. Inequalities in land ownership were inflated by a growing overpopulation problem, depletion of overutilised trac. Disparity between policy design and implementation medicine masiiwa institute of development studies university of zimbabwe may 2004 note. Reforms such as these may be proclaimed by a government, by interested groups, or by revolution. President donald trump touched off a diplomatic row with south africa by repeating an erroneous broadcast about land reform there. Makhadi couldnt afford to continue his studies at a local technical college.
Land reform, a purposive change in the way in which agricultural land is held or owned, the methods of cultivation that are employed, or the relation of agriculture to the rest of the economy. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the land reform. House beyond april 1990 and so prevent significant land reform from taking place in zimbabwe. There is also a struggle within the zimbabwean government over the issue which is very far from resolved. People firstzimbabwes land reform programme harare. Zimbabwe received financial assistance for land reform during the 1980s and 1990s from various governments. Land reform in zimbabwe has been highly controversial. The topic i was asked to address, as indicated by the title, is restricted to a discussion of land tenure, property regimes and traditional leadership in communal areas.
These studies have reported an internal rate of return to the program. It was used by the aging mugabe to gain political mileage and grip which he was losing to mdc led tsvanngirai. Much of this land was previously cattle ranches, with limited. Land reform is the change of laws, regulations or customs regarding land ownership. Zimbabwe, on one side of the spectrum, is facing a crisis in. I feel that an extremely important perspective of land reforms which could have longterm and sustained benefits for zimbabwe. Efficiency effects zimbabwes agricultural mechanization and. It has led to zimbabwes economic and social collapse. Fast track land reform in zimbabwe centre for public. The second phase of the land redistribution and resettlement programme in the form of the fast track land reform programme ftlrp, which started in 2000, has created an expanded number and array of small, medium and large scale farms, and effectively transferring ownership from the minority, white farmers to new indigenous farmers.
People first zimbabwe s land reform programme harare. Whilst there are some a2 farmers who have made a success out of their allocation of land, it is on a much smaller scale than what was previously being done. Fast track land reform in zimbabwe centre for public impact. A 1998 survey of farm workers in zimbabwe detailing their demographic, and skill, land access and viewpoints of land reform and redistribution is used to examine the very real constraints and the possibilities for poverty reduction among longstanding marginalized social groups in the ongoing fasttrack land resettlement in zimbabwe. Africa zimbabwes fasttrack land reform shows little benefit 15 years on. But conditions were put on the way that the money handed over could be used. Zimbabwes fasttrack land reform shows little benefit. Zimbabwes land reform since 2000 has been intensely controversial.
193 387 749 1209 1154 769 1167 100 655 1247 507 810 19 179 1279 1263 420 833 764 499 1251 519 1505 339 632 859 518 438 637 461 1477 16 880 1170 402 366 1073 1081 262 573 585 367 1070 559 272 750 729 26 1027 128