Considering the multiple purposes of land in Zimbabwe's economic recovery

Abstract

A preoccupation with the idea of land as a productive asset continues to dominate donor policy prescriptions imposed on poor nations of the world. The presumption is that a view of land as a productive asset implies security which then induces investment and improvements in agricultural productivity. Emerging evidence from Zimbabwe's fast track land reform programme shows a nuanced and complex picture whereby land has multiple and often conflicting meanings to individuals, groups, and the state: as a productive asset, political instrument, symbol of belonging, and as a safety net for the poor. Any policy to support a revitalized agricultural sector in post – crisis Zimbabwe will need to take account of the multiple meanings of land and build on emerging trends of land reform beneficiary, white farmer, and private sector collaboration; as well as livelihoods diversification.