Issue Of Land Reform Research Articles

The Effect of the Recapitalisation and Development Programme on Agricultural Production of Land Reform Beneficiaries in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

Access to land is a key part of socio-economic development in South Africa. It can be used as a way of rectifying the injustices of the past and lessening the severity of poverty among beneficiaries. To address the issue of land reform, the Recapitalisation and Development Programme (RECAP) was introduced in 2009. The main objectives of this programme are to increase production, guarantee food security, create employment opportunities within the agricultural sector, and graduate small farmers into commercial farmers. This study aimed to analyse the impact of RECAP on land reform projects, focusing on agricultural production in the Eastern Cape. Both primary and secondary data were used in the study, collected through farm/project visits. The results indicated that the programme has made progress towards improving agricultural production on land reform projects since its inception of RECAP. Through RECAP intervention, land reform beneficiaries gained technical skills.

Voice against Social Taboos: Re-reading The Descendants of Cain (1954) and Sunlight, Moonlight (1964) from the Perspective of World Literature

This paper examines The Descendants of Cain (1954) and Sunlight, Moonlight (1964) by Hwang Sunwŏn (1915-2000) from the perspective of world literature. He intertextualized and rewrote his Japanese predecessor’s fiction works with the same title, “Descendants of Cain” by Arishima Takeo (1878-1923) and The Broken Commandment by Shimazaki Tōson (1872-1943), by addressing the issue of land reform in prewar North Korea and social discrimination in industrialized South Korea in 1960s, respectively. The theme of his novel, breaking taboos and obtaining freedom, distinguishes Hwang from his predecessors in the field of world literature studies. The term “influence” can be supplanted by the concept of “intertextuality” for transnational and transcultural comparative research. This study attempts to apply the term ‘intertextuality’ in order to prevent any misinterpretations of the concept of influence, particularly in relation to the potential hierarchy between influencing and influenced. By analyzing the texts of Hwang Sunwŏn, Arishima Takeo, and Shimazaki Tōson employing both close reading and distant reading techniques, we can gain insight into Hwang’s emphasis on taboo-breaking themes and his contribution to world literature studies. This article also emphasizes the importance of considering the format that Franco Moretti discusses in “Conjectures on World Literature.” Moretti suggests that modern novel is comprised of a triangle: “foreign plot; local characters; and then, local narrative voice” (65). “Local narrative voice” can be explained by Hwang Sunwŏn’s interest in the taboo motif. He continues to break the taboos and thematizes the issue of freedom versus ideology, and he further interrogates the problems of the legacy of Confucianism and newly adapted capitalism. His works are an example for the study of world literature of how the motif of violating taboos can function as a narrative tradition, demonstrating the boundless will of human freedom.

LAND RESETTLEMENT IN POST-COLONIAL ZIMBABWE: A LOOK INTO THE GOVERNMENT LAND RESETTLEMENT APPROACHES

In Zimbabwe, ever since the government embarked on a disastrous land reform agenda in the early 2000s, the issue of land reform and its social-economic effects, such as relocating people, remained a bone of contention. Extensive research has shown that land reform laws and relocation approaches in some remote areas of Zimbabwe are politicised and not consistent and, therefore, catastrophic. However, most studies in land reform and resettlement have been limited, persistently focusing on the impacts and constitutionality of Zimbabwe’s 2000s land reform program. This study seeks to contribute to the land reform debate by examining the Zimbabwean government’s land reform and relocation activities between 2015 and 2021 using a case study of the Chilonga and Mazoe governmentled resettlement programmes. Three key empirical questions are asked - What are the government’s intended strategies when relocating the Chilonga and Mazoe people? Is there any resemblance with the colonial resettlement approaches? What legal instruments were used, and were they constitutionally justified? Data for this study was drawn mainly from a systematic review of documents and interviews with key informants and victims (n=40) of the government-led resettlements. Analysis shows that the government’s resettlement approaches bear a significant resemblance to the unconstitutional procedures the colonial government employed. We argue that the government’s post-2000 land reform laws, especially between 2015 and 2021, must be cleansed of the colonial elements that allow the government to manipulate the laws to suit their political needs at the expense of the general populace.

Peculiarities of Land Reform and Introduction of the Land Market in Ukraine: Legal Security and Consequences

During the years of Ukraine's independence, the issue of land reform and the opening of the market for agricultural land was on the agenda of the legislative and executive branches of government. According to the Constitution of Ukraine, land is the most valuable wealth and property of the Ukrainian people. Land reform is not the first attempt by the authorities to change land relations in Ukraine, but it was to resolve the controversial issues of Ukrainian land. The implementation of land reform provided not only the introduction of effective mechanisms of land tenure and land use, but also the development of a modern land market on the basis of a market economy. Land reform has been hampered by corruption, a moratorium on the sale of agricultural land, and the desire of some politicians to speculate on the issue. Therefore, the moratorium in Ukraine was introduced as a temporary tool to protect landowners in the underdeveloped infrastructure of the land market. The adopted Law of Ukraine in 2020 removes the moratorium and gives the right to owners of agricultural land to dispose of their land at their own discretion. In the future, the opening of the land market should be a significant change in the life of Ukrainian society. However, the villagers face a number of unresolved issues that need to be clarified. Parliament and the government are expected to adopt and implement new land laws, such as decentralization of land management, the state e-auction, and the establishment of an independent Partial Lending Fund to increase smallholder access to flexible financing.

An Immersive Tractor Application for Sustainability

South Africa is currently addressing the issue of land reform. This research explores how immersive technology could serve as an intervention to avoid unintended consequences in the agricultural industry. This work used participatory design, a stage-based approach, and the SCRUM project management methodology to develop a novel tractor-based immersive technology mobile application. The tractor application developed serves to support novice farmers and learners alike, to learn about and test their skills on tractor components. Three-dimensional modelling software and EON reality software were used to develop the mobile application. Upon completion, the application was tested by experts in this domain of interest and compared to the objectives identified, resulting from land reform as set out by the Department of Agriculture. The tractor application shows promise in promoting Farming 4.0. Moreover, feedback from potential users and experts in this domain confirms the success of the application and interest in future immersive research.

Comedy of commerce: Towards a wonderful exchange in land reform?

This article theologically explores the controversial issue of land reform, especially in South Africa, by probing a theatrical metaphoric framework – with its depth and holism. This will be done in order to articulate the deep Christian confessional notion of sanctorum communio [communion of the saints], having the unfathomable notion of admirabile commercium [wonderful commerce or exchange] at the centre of its twofold sense (communion of the sancta and sancti ) as an alternative possibility acted out on a civil play stage (or in a public dramatic amphitheatre) of land reform that might be seen to be ‘performed’ in South Africa today. As deepest background to all problems of land greed and land stinginess, Christ’s short ‘parabolic play’ of the Rich Fool is brought into focus. The inquiry argues that the ‘wonderful exchange’ acted out in its inner and outer commerce with the sancta [Christ as the Fruit of the land and his gracious benefits of land-giving and land-flourishing] and circling out into the sancti [the commerce of the ecclesiastical, ‘theatrical company’ of people in freedom, equality and brotherhood] should, prompted by the Holy Spirit (also in his cosmic inhabitation), decentralise this ‘comedy of commerce’ further into public, civil communities or ‘companies’ of people-and-land, permeated by this commerce’s play of freedom, equality and brotherhood.

Factors influencing savings among land reform beneficiaries in South Africa

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine the effects of socio-economic factors of land redistribution for agricultural development project beneficiaries on savings in the North West Province, South Africa.Design/methodology/approachA binary logistic regression model was employed to determine the effects of socio-economic factors of project beneficiaries on their savings.FindingsThe results show that the average number of trainings attended by the beneficiaries, the proportion of youth per project and the average net farm income of the project positively and significantly influence the level of savings by the beneficiaries. About 62 percent of the beneficiaries did not have savings; thus, only 38 percent of beneficiaries had savings. Of the 38 percent who had savings, the majority (77 percent) had an annual net farm income of less than R1,000. Only 2 percent of the projects had an annual net farm income of more than R10,000.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study are valuable to policymakers dealing with the issue of land reform and could shed some light on how land redistribution can achieve its intended purposes. These findings should be granted serious consideration when formulating policies aimed at improving savings within collective groups.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study have revealed the importance of training and participation of youth in influencing savings. As well, the findings imply that an organization or household with a health income have a higher propensity of saving.Social implicationsThe research findings point out to the importance of saving. With savings, a household is in a better position to deal with situations that arises in case of emergency.Originality/valueThis paper is among the few studies to analyze the determinants of savings at a group or project level. Most studies are done at household or individual level.

TOWARDS LAND RESTITUTION THROUGH AN AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE ON JUSTICE: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF LAND REFORM AND THE ROLE OF RE-IMAGINATION

The issue of land reform lies at the heart of African pride and dignity. However, colonisation leads to the systematic deprivation of land among the conquered people, as Ramose calls them. Ramose states that colonisation and racism were a dehumanising product of an unjust system, land deprivation being a sub-product of that system.1 Ramose calls it a double injustice in an unjust war. A system of injustice where the conquered was denied the basic courtesy of humanity by the conqueror. Apartheid and colonisation were the draconian systems that denied an entire people the ability to be regarded as an equal. However, the most tragic legacy left by apartheid and colonisation is the denying of conquered people their unique way of life and culture which is intertwined and dependant on land. The focus of this article is ascertaining what an African perspective to justice is and why it is needed as the primary premise in resolving land reform matters. Most importantly I will be looking at case law to assess whether South African courts are starting to turn to an African perspective to justice when dealing specifically with land wars in post-apartheid South Africa. I will also emphasise the need for our judicial system to re-imagine land and reform outside from what it is ordinarily understood to be in European norms.

Editorial

On Friday 27th July 2012 the conference on the "Green Paper on Land Reform: Challenges and Opportunities" was held at the Hakunamatata Estate in Muldersdrift. The conference was a joint project by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) and the Faculty of Law, North-West University. While the main focus of the conference was on the specific issues raised by the Green Paper on Land Reform of 2011, it also addressed current and contemporary issues relating to the Land Reform issue as experienced in South Africa.
 Papers were delivered on various aspects of land reform relating to or arising from the Green Paper on Land Reform, 2011. The programme included a large number of excellent and thought provoking papers as well as a number of panel discussions that resulted in enthusiastic audience participation. Of these, the following papers and presentations were collected, evaluated and published in this special edition of PER. The first contribution by Wian Erlank (North-West University) gives an overview and discusses the challenges the Green Paper on Land Reform bring to the fore. It sets the stage for the publication at large. This is followed by Juanita Pienaar (University of Stellenbosch) who deliberates on what she calles the “mechanics of intervention” and the Green Paper on Land Reform. Henk Kloppers and Gerrit Pienaar (North West University) gives a historical context of land reform in South Africa and early policies; and Henk Kloppers then considers Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the context of land reform. He is followed by Hanri Mostert's (University of Cape Town) contribution on land as a 'National Asset' under the Constitution and what this system change envisaged by the 2011 Green Paper on Land Policy means for property under the Constitution. Elmien du Plessis (University of Johannesburg) article on the lack of direction on compensation for expropriation in the 2011 Green Paper on Land Reform. This special edition ends with Motsepe Matlala, the President of the National African Farmers Union gave an illuminating oratio on the opportunities and challenges of the 2011 Green Paper on Land Reform for the National African Farmers Union (NAFU SA).
 The timing of this edition is fortuitous, since a follow-up to this conference was held at Hakunamatata, Muldersdrift on 19 and 20 June 2014 with the specific focus on Land Reform and Food Security.
 More on the theme.
 The contributions contained in this special edition provide an extensive overview of land reform, especially in their introductory sections - before delving into the more technical aspects. However, a very brief note on the issue of Land Reform in South Africa might be beneficial for foreign readers. As in most other areas of the world, ownership of and access to land is an important issue in South Africa. This is especially topical in South Africa due to the fact that the racial segregation policies and laws of the past had the effect of removing people from their land, of restricting their access to land, and also in most instances of prohibiting their ownership of land. Ever since the abolition of "apartheid" and the introduction of the new, democratic dispensation, the initiative of "land reform" has been identified as requiring actively promotion in order to address these injustices of the past. Mandated by the Constitution and implemented through legislation, the South African Land Reform Programme has seen many developments over the past few years. While it is clear that much has been done to address these issues, it is also clear that current land reform strategies have not have the intended effect and would need to be adapted before this important programme is resumed. The Green Paper on Land Reform of 2011 is one of the instruments that has been used to create new interest and public engagement both in Land Reform, the development of better public policy and - eventually – of legislation. In the context of this brief description of the existing situation, this issue focusses on the most pressing aspects of land reform at the moment.
 

Reforma rolna w Zachodniej Prowincji Przylądkowej Republiki Południowej Afryki

Land reform in Western Cape Province in Republic of South Africa
 The principal aim of this paper is to critically examine the issue of land reform in Western Cape Province in Republic of South Africa. This paper is based primarily on discourse analyses and field research conducted in the Stellenbosch region in May 2015. Article is divided into five parts. The first part presents research questions and research techniques as well as author’s epistemological orientation. In the second part the general issue of land market in SSA was raised in order to put South African case into a continental and regional contexts. The next part is devoted to the developments of land reform in RSA and analyses of South African political discourse on land reform. The next part presents the results of field research in Western Cape Province. The last part concludes.

Land Fragmentation in Bulgaria: Reconsidering Its Measurement and Extent

This study investigates the extent of land fragmentation in Bulgaria, where it is considered a major agricultural and land reform issue. Using data from the Bulgaria 2003 Multitopic Household Survey as well as other data sets pertaining to late 19th and early 20th century, the paper shows that the current level of land fragmentation is low-to-moderate in Bulgaria and that fragmentation is at its lowest level in about a century. This finding is in contrast to some of the existing research which has suffered from measurement problems. The paper underlines the significance of differentiating between land fragmentation and farm size to reveal an accurate portrayal of the extent of land use.

An Examination of the Relationships Between Farmland Values, Agricultural Commodity Prices, and Land Reform Issues in South Africa

Land reform is an issue that is current and hotly debated in South Africa. The policy pursued by the South African government to date to achieve restitution and equity in land ownership is to promote the willing seller willing buyer regime. But progress under this policy has been slow. It is claimed that part of the problem is the inflation of prices by landowners. This study investigates through the analysis of time series data the factors that influence land values in South Africa. The values of land under maize, sugar cane and deciduous fruit were examined. The empirical results show fluctuations in agricultural commodity prices, and interest rates charged do significantly impact land values. The study also found that market value for farmland differs significantly from productive value. For potential emerging farmers and Land Reform Policy makers, inflated land values act as a huge barrier to their success. JEL Classification: Q15 055

Land Reform Management in Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe

This article compares land reform management in Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe—three countries in Southern Africa sharing a similar history of race-based minority rule characterized by extensive land expropriation that pushed indigenous black populations into unfertile reserves during the colonial era. Although each of the three countries has pressures for land redistribution resulting in land invasions, they have had very different reactions and approaches to the management of land reform issues that they face. While the Zimbabwean government has supported and encouraged land invasions resulting in a chaotic land management process, the Namibian and the South African governments have had very little sympathy with land invaders and have insisted on an orderly process. What accounts for these different reactions in the management of land reform? What are the dynamics at play in encouraging the forceful distribution of land in Zimbabwe but not in Namibia and South Africa? Examining the extensive literature and research available, this conceptual article compares the dilemmas that the three countries face and discusses the way they have managed land reform. The rationale for the article is that land reform (and the accompanying land redistribution) is important for buying social peace in communities where land alienation meant extreme forms of land division by race. The manner in which land reform is managed might condition the social and political stability of the three countries.

Labour and the Land: From Municipalization to the Land Commission, 1951-1971

This article examines the Labour Party's changing commitment to land reform in the 1950s and 1960s, a commitment that featured more prominently in the party's plans than historians have realized. In the 1950s Labour promised to ‘municipalize’ all rent-controlled dwellings, some six million houses and flats. After municipalization proved electorally unattractive in 1959 Labour turned to the idea of a Land Commission to purchase all commercially developable land at 30 per cent more than its ‘use value’. That land would then be leased to developers, thus realizing most of the ‘unearned increment’ for the state. Labour's promise to use the Land Commission to control land speculation and end rising prices in land contributed to Harold Wilson's victory in 1964, although in the event the Land Commission failed to realize its promise. In addition to adding a neglected dimension to the history of the Labour Party in these decades, this article argues that the issue of land reform shows the continued radicalism of the Labour Party, the continued strength of the ethical tradition in its socialism, and the continued hold on its members of a vision for social transformation.

Land Reform in Tajikistan: Economic Effects on Private Farms

Land reform in Tajikistan is one of the main tools for economic development and food security. Agricultural economy is under transition from a planned to a market system through collective farm reorganisation. Aim of the paper is the evaluation of farm performances in terms of size. The paper analyses Tajikistan general situation concerning land tenure security and the direct implications on newly established private farms. The study evaluates specific constraints affecting cotton farms and cotton value chain. Theoretical implication models are tested using a sample survey through multivariate analysis of farm data, to evaluate different economic effectiveness and the trade-off between cotton and cereals. Crop choice and farm dimension linkage is also analysed. Data collection was realized through field interviews with farmers and collective farm managers in two tajik districts, background interviews with international organisations dealing with land reform issues and central and local authorities.

LEGAL BASIS FOR LAND USE MANAGEMENT IN INTEWAR LITHUANIA

The paper discusses legal documents related to land use management. The main legal principles are evaluated that played an important part in land use management in the period of the Lithuanian independence in 1918–1940. One of the most important documents was The Issue of Land Reform. The author of this document was Mykolas Krupavičius. In land use regulation the main question is land property. The issues related with land use management are evaluated in accordance with public interest. These issues and their principles are compared with those of today.

Power, Property Rights and the Issue of Land Reform: A General Case Illustrated with Reference to Bangladesh

The argument for land reform is most persuasive when the proposed land reform promises not only to improve distribution but also to increase growth and efficiency. Such is the promise in the GKI advocacy of radical redistributive land reform. In this paper, first (a) the Griffin, Khan and Ickowitz (GKI) and (b) World Bank positions on land reform are compared, and their points of agreement and disagreement identified. Secondly, the political economy of Bangladesh is examined to evaluate the appropriateness of these two competing neoclassical approaches for understanding the constraints in the agrarian sector. Thirdly, it is argued that the anomalous evidence on land transactions and productivity in Bangladesh cannot be easily accommodated within purely economic models of markets in the way that the neoclassical approach attempts. Paradoxically, both the World Bank's focus on institutional reform and GKI's focus on radical land reform are derived from such attempts and both suffer from similar empirical and theoretical problems. There is a strong case for going back to Brenner‐type political economy approaches for understanding the dynamism and constraints facing agrarian transitions. Such an approach puts the analysis of class and power at the centre stage of an analysis of structure and change in the agrarian economy, and focuses on the distribution of power that prevents primitive accumulation in some countries leading to a capitalist transformation.

The Labour Party and Land Reform in the Inter-War Period

By the outbreak of the Second World War the ‘Land Question’ had lost its power to generate acute political controversy. Yet the issue of land reform did not disappear with the failure of the 1929–31 Labour Government to reintroduce Lloyd George's land taxes. Land reform after 1914 needs to be rescued from an over-identification with the decline of Radical Liberalism. This article will trace the way Labour Party policy developed after 1914. By 1939 it had adopted a set of policies based on the economic protection of agriculture, increased domestic production and marketing. At the same time it argued for the preservation of the countryside through land-use planning. After 1918 a long-term commitment to land nationalisation began to occupy a more important position in its land reform policies, particularly after 1931. In addition, new measures appeared on the party's political agenda for the first time, including the preservation of the countryside against urban intrusion, access to mountain and moorland, and the creation of national parks.

STATUTE NOTE

LAND ACQUISITION AMENDMENT ACT, 2000 (ZIMBABWE)Since Zimbabwe became independent in 1980 the issue of land reform and, in particular, the issue of land acquisition and redistribution has seldom been off the political agenda. For the first ten years of independence there were constitutional constraints on the acquisition of land for resettlement purposes, but the National Land Policy of 1990 set out plans for an accelerated programme of resettlement. In order to achieve its ambitious targets the government of Zimbabwe saw the need to strengthen its powers of compulsory acquisition both by amending section 16 of the Constitution (which provided strong protection against the compulsory acquisition of property) and by enacting the Land Acquisition Act to provide a statutory basis for the new policy. These reforms were extremely controversial both inside and outside the country and a clause excluding the right to fair compensation for expropriated land was dropped partly in response to international pressure.

Gender and the politics of the land reform process in Tanzania

In 1998, over seven years after a Commission of Inquiry into Land Matters was appointed by the then president of Tanzania, Ali Hassan Mwinyi, in January 1991, it is expected that a Land Bill will be tabled in the Tanzanian National Assembly. These seven years have witnessed mounting debate on the purpose and direction of land tenure reform. The purpose of this article is to review the debate in order to show that the question of women's unequal rights to land has been almost totally neglected. The article explores the politics of the land tenure reform process in Tanzania, and examines the reasons why the gender gap in the command over property has received little attention. Tanzania is presently at an important juncture in the restructuring of land relations. Since the issue of land reform came to the forefront of the political agenda in the early 1990s, an opportunity has existed to address the question of women's ownership and control of land. I argue, however, that this opportunity has not been taken, and that the issue of women's land rights has become marginalised within the debate and consequently in policy.Examining first what may be termed the mainstream of the land tenure debate, conducted on the whole by those involved in making major policy recommendations and drafting legislation, it is argued that the issue of gender has been largely ignored. There have been a number of opportunities when the specific issue of women's relations to land should have been explicitly addressed in research findings and recommendations. Instead, one sees no more than a passing acknowledgement of the gender dimensions of land tenure reform. This is most noticeably the case in the academic writing of those who profess themselves to be most concerned with the land issue as one of democracy and justice. A number of reasons will be canvassed to explain this.This article goes on to discuss the role of gender progressive groups, such as women's advocacy groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), in the land reform debate. Whilst it might be expected that such groups would be concerned to ensure that women's land rights are addressed, especially when the issue is being neglected in the mainstream debate, it is clear that in Tanzania they have been unable to challenge the marginalisation of gender issues in the reform agenda. I advance a number of reasons why feminist analyses of the land issue have been hampered and why there has been a failure to respond effectively to the opportunity to press the government for reforms to address women's demands.Women's unequal command of property, and the question of how it might be overcome, merits attention. If there is to be progress, researchers and activists will have to document and theorise women's land relations, and I discuss some issues which might be addressed in order to broaden the land tenure reform agenda. These include questions about the form which women's land rights might take, how they might be achieved, and the strategies which will need to be adopted in pressuring the state for land reforms.