Artisanal and small-scale gold mining and rural transformation in post -land reform Zimbabwe: A broad overview

Abstract

This article explores the dynamics of a rural transformation process triggered by the dramatic growth of Zimbabwe's Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) sector. The paper argues that despite its informality-ASGM has become a key part of Zimbabwe's largely informal economy and has created employment opportunities for the rural and urban poor. There is thus a need for a shift in government policy from an antagonistic policy approach which criminalizes all forms of Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM), to a policy that promotes the formalization of the sector. The paper is based on empirical data gathered over nearly 15 years of fieldwork across Zimbabwe's mineral rich Great Dyke geological formation.