Fast Track Land Reform Programme Research Articles

Land Reform, Famine and Environmental Degradation in Zimbabwe

Far from empowering the people, Zimbabwe's fast-track land reform program disempowered ordinary people through loss of jobs, education, health facilities, voting rights and food. The program reduced the country from its status of being the food basket of Africa to a basket case where more than half of the population survives on international food aid annually. Ordinary Zimbabweans have been pushed back to Hobbes's state of nature where life is short, solitary, nasty and brutish. However the program managed to meet the economic and political needs of the ruling elites who used it to crush the opposition while seizing the opportunity to acquire large commercial farms through state terror. Why fast-track, and why codename land reform a 'war of liberation'?

On the Fast Track to Land Degradation? A case study of the impact of the Fast Track Land Reform Programme in Kadoma District, Zimbabwe

ABSTRACTThe Fast Track Land Reform Programme is the defining instrument for Zimbabwe's future development prospects. In the three-year period from 2000 to 2002, 300,000 families were resettled on 11 million hectares, thus bringing to an end the colonial division of land. The process which displaced the commercial farm workers and farm owners was chaotic, violent and disorderly. Subsequent legislation and government agricultural initiatives have attempted to impose, retroactively, technocratic order to the sweeping changes that have taken place. Our study finds that the dire macro-economic situation coupled with trends of HIV/AIDS prevalence combine, at the local scale, with variable rainfall and poor soils to make commercial agricultural production a difficult proposition. Three case studies in Kadoma District show that there have been multiple outcomes to the resettlement process. In some instances individual households have benefitted in the short term, but this has only occurred where climatic and soil conditions have been particularly favourable.

Politicization of land reform in Zimbabwe: impacts on wildlife, food production and the economy

Land reform is a major Southern Africa issue. Land reform, to rectify its inequitable distribution between white and black Zimbabweans, became radicalized by President Robert Mugabe and his political party ZANU‐PF as a means to stay in power. This has had adverse impacts on food production, conservation, use of wildlife, and both national and regional economies. Ill‐considered internal and regional policies that result in economic ruin and uncontrollable immigration by the poor, hopeless disenfranchised masses could end any hope for an African Renaissance. This would harm South Africa, and prevent it from providing the benefits of development to Africa’s people.

Rethinking the language of politics in 21st century Zimbabwe: A critical discourse analysis perspective

The struggle for political supremacy in postcolonial Zimbabwe has of late assumed a new form in which discourse contestations have taken centre-stage. The Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) politicians have engaged in discourse construction and discourse manipulation as tools of discrediting, vilifying and outmanoeuvring their perceived political opponents. This has been evident during and after the execution of the Fast Track Land Reform Programme (the Third Chimurenga) and the urban slums clearance exercise (Operation Murambatsvina). Applied propaganda techniques in the form of discourse control, semantic twists, popular appeal, word approval, semantic forgery and semantic shifts have been deployed in attempting to justify the nobility of unpopular government programmes that have been condemned both locally and internationally. The article concentrates on ZANU PF political discourse because other political players in do not have access to the state controlled media. In attempting to unravel these deep-seated political machinations of the ZANU PF government, the article uses a mixed conceptual framework of hegemony theory and critical discourse analysis, coupled with empiricism. . LWATI: A Journal of Contemporary Research Vol.3 () 2006: pp.223-235

Liberation from Constitutional Constraints: Land Reform in Zimbabwe

In 1980, Zimbabwe's white minority owned commercial farms covered nearly half the country's agricultural land. Yet today, the state of Zimbabwe, controlled by the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union—Patriotic Front party, holds titles to almost all formerly white . . . owned agricultural land. The removal of constitutional constraints, which accelerated after 2000, was the crucial variable that enabled this transfer of ownership. By developing such a land regime, Zimbabwe has come to resemble most African states, which control rural land and can allocate and re-allocate it unimpeded by constitutional constraints. Today, significant private land ownership in Africa is confined to two former settler states, South Africa and Namibia.

Beyond a learning society? It is all to be done again: Zambia and Zimbabwe

This article considers the ways in which educators and learning societies in Zambia and Zimbabwe have had to struggle to create independent, democratic and critical curricula in difficult circumstances over the last 50 years in the context of historical shifts in power, a declining British Empire and the re‐emergence of reactionary forces at a time when democracy is in retreat. It is argued that democratic learning societies depend on relationships with progressive social movements which most non‐governmental organizations (NGOs), and their allies in lifelong education, claiming to constitute civil society do not represent. In Zambia the labour movement and its educational programmes have had to contend with the brutal application of neo‐liberalism and imposed structural adjustment programmes. These latter were also imposed in Zimbabwe and in both countries resulted in the decimation of public education and health programmes, appalling human suffering and unemployment, all exacerbated the by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The issues of land reform in Zimbabwe, its suspension from and quitting the Commonwealth, the demonization of President Mugabe, and the recent March 2005 election victory for Zanu‐PF are analysed. The courage and dedication of so many educators in both countries are overwhelming but the article concludes that the learning society, rich culture, knowledge base and intellectual potential may be in danger from poverty, unemployment, exploitation and disease.

A quantitative analysis of Zimbabwe's land reform policy: An application of Zimbabwe SAM multipliers

This study was designed to quantitatively investigate the economy-wide impact of land reform policies in Zimbabwe. Land reforms came with the realm of independence in Zimbabwe. Four models were used to implement the reform policies. The paper uses the updated 1991 Social Accounting Matrix for Zimbabwe and the Central Statistics Office's household data on resettled families in Zimbabwe. The paper computes the sectoral SAM multipliers and then uses household data on resettled families to simulate the impact of specific land reform models on the economy. The simulated results show that land reform, if well planned and systematically and carefully implemented, could generate economy-wide benefits for Zimbabwe and could lead to income redistribution in favour of low-income household groups, while maintaining an increase in households' aggregate income.

Reclaiming the land: the resurgence of rural movements in Africa, Asia, and Latin America

* Introduction - Sam Moyo and Paris Yeros * 1. The Resurgence of Rural Movements under Neoliberalism - Sam Moyo and Paris Yeros * PART I: AFRICA * 2. Rural Land and Land Conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa - Henry Bernstein * 3. Night Harvesters, Forest Hoods and Saboteurs: Struggles over Land Expropriation in Ghana - Kojo Sebastian Amanor * 4. Land Occupations in Malawi: Challenging the Neoliberal Legal Order - Fidelis Edge Kanyongolo * 5. Land Occupations in South Africa - Mfaniseni Fana Sihlongonyane * 6. Land Occupations and Land Reform in Zimbabwe: Towards the National Democratic Revolution - Sam Moyo and Paris Yeros * PART II: ASIA * 7. Rural Land Struggles in Asia:Overview of Selected Contexts - Filomeno Aguilar Jnr. * 8. Occupation of Land in India: Experiences and Challenges - Minar Pimple and Manpreet Sethi * 9. Stretching the 'Limits' of Redistributive Reform: Lessons and Evidence from the Philippines under Neoliberalism - Salvador H. Feranil * PART III: LATIN AMERICA * 10. The Dynamics of Land Occupations in Latin America - Henry Veltmeyer * 11. The Occupation as a Form of Access to Land in Brazil: A Theoretical and Methodological Contribution - Bernardo Manano Fernandes (translated by Malcolm K. McNee) * 12. Agrarian Reform in Brazil under Neoliberalism: Evaluation and Perpsectives - Lauro Mattei * 13. The Agrarian Question and Armed Struggle in Colombia - Igor Ampuero and James Brittain * 14. Indian-Peasant Movements in Mexico: The Struggle for Land, Autonomy and Democracy - Armando Bartra and Gerardo Otero * Notes on Contributors * Index

Shared Legacies of the War: Spirit Mediums and War Veterans in Southern Zimbabwe

AbstractThis paper explores the nature of ongoing relationships between war veterans and spirit mediums in Zimbabwe, as well as the continuing salience of a shared chimurenga legacy of co-operation by these two groups, and how it has been put to use, and acted out by both in the context of Zimbabwe's recent fast track land reform project. In emphasising this continuity, the paper also considers whether a corresponding disparity between the ideology of the ruling political elite and the practices, experiences and performances of guerrillas, spirit mediums and others acting on the ground, which materialised during the liberation struggle, has re-emerged, despite or alongside the recent collaboration of some war veterans with the ruling party's rhetoric of 'patriotic history'. Engaging with Lambek's work on moral subjectivity and Mbembe's 'logic of conviviality' of postcolonial states and their subjects, it argues that war veterans and spirit mediums sometimes share a 'moral conviviality' which appears during bira possession ceremonies, in the shared demands for the return and reburial of the war dead from foreign countries, or for 'national' ceremonies held at Great Zimbabwe and elsewhere to thank the ancestors, as well as in the similar way in which spirit mediums and war veterans subject their agency to that of the ancestors in their narrative performances. It concludes by suggesting that although many war veterans have undeniably been closely complicit in the violent 'authoritarian nationalism' of the state, in this shared war legacy of spirit mediums and war veterans lies the opportunity for radical alternative imaginations of the state.

Zimbabwe's Export Performance: The Impact of the Parallel Market and Governance Factors

This paper analyzes Zimbabwe's export performance in recent years and identifies the factors that could improve export performance, from both a quantitative and qualitative perspective. Improving export performance is critical to a turnaround in Zimbabwe's economic situation. The growth rate of total exports declined dramatically in the early 2000s, following a large real appreciation of the currency and the introduction of the fast-track land reform program. An important finding of the paper is that policies that reduce (eliminate) the parallel market premium and lower ethnic tensions would be key to promoting export growth.

Zimbabwe's Export Performance: The Impact of the Parallel Market and Governance Factors

This paper analyzes Zimbabwe's export performance in recent years and identifies the factors that could improve export performance, from both a quantitative and qualitative perspective. Improving export performance is critical to a turnaround in Zimbabwe's economic situation. The growth rate of total exports declined dramatically in the early 2000s, following a large real appreciation of the currency and the introduction of the fast-track land reform program. An important finding of the paper is that policies that reduce (eliminate) the parallel market premium and lower ethnic tensions would be key to promoting export growth.

The Theory and Practice of Governance of Water Resources in Zimbabwe

Since independence in 1980, agricultural land reform in Zimbabwe has been and continues to receive extensive discussion, although the question of how the distributed land will be governed has not been spelt out adequately. This article examines the issue of governance of water resources in Zimbabwe since water and land are complementary in agricultural production. The question being addressed is whether the theory of governance of water resources, as laid out in the new water legislation, is leading to a betterment of the management of water resources in the country. The analysis is based on recorded meetings of the Save Catchment Council and two of its subcatchments, the Odzi and Upper Save, representing the new institutions created to ensure local participation in the management of water resources. The analysis focuses on the functions and responsibilities assigned to the institutions, the power and authority that they are allowed to wield and their capacity in relation to information, knowledge, and skill base. The article shows that the issue of governance of water resources in Zimbabwe is imbued or endowed with a lot of theory, which is difficult to follow in practice. For example, it has not guaranteed the empowerment of all stakeholders. There is a need to revisit some of the regulations to make them facilitate good governance of water resources through strong local participation.

Land Reform in Zimbabwe: Challenges and Opportunities for Poverty Reduction Among Commercial Farm Workers

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 on-going “fast-track” land resettlement in Zimbabwe. Based on these data and other research, farm workers are willing and viable settlers in this process but are being prevented from joining in while losing their jobs. It is suggested that unless farm workers are included in the land reform in a significant number the vast majority will join the growing ranks of the extreme rural and urban poor.

Land reform in Zimbabwe

The paper begins with an ethical case for land redistribution in Zimbabwe, based on principles of social justice and equity, drawing from a brief history of land in Zimbabwe from the first European expulsions up to independence. Both the moral and economic arguments for land redistribution are widely and fiercely contested. The paper considers and rejects two specific criticisms of the economic arguments: that farming in the commercial sector is more efficient than in the peasant sector; and that land redistribution will not benefit the land-poor, but rather transfer land to an alternative privileged group. These arguments are explored through an examination of previous land resettlement programmes in Zimbabwe in these two respects. The paper also evaluates the objections to land reform related to issues of compensation and legality. It is concluded that radical redistribution is desirable and feasible, and urges the British government to finance land development and, if necessary, compensate commercial farmers.

The Impact of Agricultural Extension on Farm Production in Resettlement Areas of Zimbabwe

In this paper, we revisit the contested issue of the impact of agricultural extension on farm production. We exploit two features of the data available to us: its longitudinal nature and explicit measures of farmer ability. We find that after controlling for innate productivity characteristics and farmer ability either using household fixed effects estimation, or by including a measure of farmer ability and village fixed effects, access to agricultural extension services, defined as receiving one or two visits per agricultural year, raises the value of crop production by about 15 per cent. This parameter estimate is statistically significant. However, we also find variability in these parameter estimates across individual crop years, with the impact being markedly different in drought and non-drought years. Collectively, these results suggest that although access to farm-level extension visits does increase productivity even after controlling for innate productivity characteristics and farmer ability, results from single-year cross-sectional studies should be treated with caution

Land Reform in Zimbabwe: constraints and prospects edited by T. A. S. BOWYER-BOWER and COLIN STONEMAN Aldershot: Ashgate, 2000. Pp. 220. £39.95.

<b>Land Reform in Zimbabwe: constraints and prospects</b> edited by T<scp>. </scp>A<scp>. </scp>S. B<scp>OWYER-</scp>B<scp>OWER</scp> and C<scp>OLIN </scp>S<scp>TONEMAN</scp> Aldershot: Ashgate, 2000. Pp. 220. £39.95.

Zimbabwe: 2001 Article IV Consultation--Staff Report; Staff Statement; Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion; Statement by the Executive Director for Zimbabwe and Statement by the Authorities of Zimbabwe

This 2001 Article IV Consultation highlights that Zimbabwe’s economic crisis has continued to deepen. The deterioration has mainly been the result of inappropriate macroeconomic policies and a general breakdown in the rule of law in the context of the government’s fast-track land reform program launched in early 2000. This deterioration has undermined investor confidence, contributed to the rise in unemployment, destroyed capital, and eroded institutions important for economic development, thereby darkening the longer-term outlook. Real GDP is projected to contract by 8½ percent in 2001.

Land Reform, Growth and Equity: Emerging Evidence from Zimbabwe's Resettlement Programme ‐ A Sequel

In an article published in June 1999 in the Journal of Southern African Studies by one of us (Kinsey), evidence using a unique 17-year panel data set was presented in support of the idea that ‐ contrary to much popular thinking ‐ the experience of land reform in Zimbabwe has been generally positive. We revisit some of the key parameters employed in that article using data collected in the 1999 round of the same panel. We expand the analysis with expenditure information, and deal with the sampling bias in favour of land reform that affected the previous analysis. The evidence shows that eliminating the bias reduces the previously noted superior performance of resettlement but leaves unchanged the conclusion that land reform beneficiaries are successful in agriculture. A consideration of the available expenditure outcomes in per capita terms shows that land reform beneficiaries may not be necessarily better off and that they remain vulnerable to drought.

Land Reform in Zimbabwe: Constraints and Prospects

Land Reform in Zimbabwe: Constraints and Prospects

Land Reform, Income Redistribution, and Agricultural Production in Korea

Jeon, Yoong-Deok; Kim, Young-Yong.January, 2000.Land reform, income redistribution, and agricultural production in Korea,Articles,[Chicago, U.S.]University of Chicago,18