Pdf an overview of fast track land reform in zimbabwe. The zimbabwe land policy study, is a policy research paper, commissioned and edited by the zimbabwe institute. Conflicts arise from imbalances in communities, group organization or nations, for example, uneven distribution of. So basically, during the years from 1980 when the compromise was there, here and yan h. Oct 03, 2002 the fasttrack land reform programme has seen government allocating land to more than 310,000 families. 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. Particular attention is given to the local administrative context and to the relationship between central and local government as portrayed in the paths of land. The government came up with new and revised land reform policy after 1990, passing the land acquisition act in 1992, which was supposed to speed up the land reform process through land designation and compulsory acquisition. Fast track land reform in zimbabwe centre for public. Land reform is a zimbabwe success story it will be the. The land reform and property rights in zimbabwe of 2010 is a sequel report to the.
Land reform has spatially and temporally occurred throughout the world as a result of a need to change patterns of land ownership or land use king, 1977. The land reform programme in zimbabwe has been a major area of international discussion for almost five years now. Ruswa masters minithesis, institute for social development, university of the western cape. My central argument in this minithesis is that land reform in zimbabwe was not a resounding success because of the. It begins with the premise that land policy, especially the fast track land reform programme, was made possible by the accretion and concen. 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. The paper will also look at the zimbabwe governments. In this paper i evaluate urban land policy in zimbabwe. The government of zimbabwe, in pursuit of the policy of empowering its people, embarked on the land reform programme which resulted in britain and its allies imposing illegal economic sanctions on the country after year 2000. Anyone flying over zimbabwe on a clear day in the year 2000 would have seen huge differences in the farming regions, and perhaps better understood the countrys longstanding issue with land reform.
I think that in order to measure the success of land reform, we need to go beyond statistics of crop production, per capita income and gdp. Arbitrary changes to the legislative framework have contributed to the high level of confusion that has been provoked by the fast track initiative. It begins with the premise that land policy, especially the fast track land reform. This policy allowed government to acquire, for compensation, land that it deemed. Pdf most commentary on zimbabwes land reform insists that agricultural production has almost. My central argument in this minithesis is that land reform in zimbabwe was not a resounding success because of the way the process was managed. Zimbabwe government for the purpose of land redistribution1. The fasttrack land reform and agrarian change in zimbabwe. Challenging the myths article pdf available in journal of peasant studies 385. This has involved a detailed study of what happened to peoples. The fasttrack land reform and agrarian change in zimbabwe zimbabwes fast track land reform program ftlrp formally began with the land acquisition act of 2002. Moyo1995 states that land reform has been undertaken in africa, in america, in asia, and in europe over the last seven decades.
Zimbabwe has a long history of land reform that dates back to the early 1980s. Overturning the settler colonial pattern of land use and creating a new agrarian structure has had farreaching consequences. According to the land policy statement of the government of zimbabwe adopted in 1990, which still applies, the criteria for identifying land to be acquired for redistribution are that the land is. Land reform policies are generally advocated as an effort to eradicate food. Disparity between policy design and implementation medicine masiiwa institute of development studies university of zimbabwe may 2004 note. A framework for discussion papers part of the zimbabwe land series dale dor april 10th, 2012 abstract this article sets the tone and lays out a framework for the presentation of a series of discussion papers on land policy in zimbabwe. The distribution was unequal and gender insensitive. He noted that the agrarian reforms were designed to address the lopsided land distribution pattern in. Land reform in zimbabwe, class dynamics and delayed bandung. Zimbabwes fast track land reform program ftlrp formally began. Nov 29, 2017 land reform is a zimbabwe success story it will be the basis for economic recovery under mnangagwa november 29, 2017 9. Ray bush and lionel cliffe, agrarian policy in migrant labour societies.
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. Government is still in the process of handing over land to. 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. President mugabe and his ruling party capitalized on the land issue to regain political support, which was fading due to hard economic conditions prevailing in the country. Government is still in the process of handing over land to more than 54,000 families, zbc. Land reform and redistribution in zimbabwe since 1980 fao. In each of these countries the process of land reform is incomplete. Summary the land reform programme in zimbabwe has been a major area of international discussion for almost five years now. Land reform is a zimbabwe success story it will be the basis for economic recovery under mnangagwa november 29, 2017 9. Scoones et al 2010, few studies have examined the qualitative character of this outcome and its prospects for progressive social and political transformation in a largely agrarian society.
Land reform has returned to prominence not just in zimbabwe but also in southern africa more generally. Land policy since 1980 and what has influenced same. Under the command agriculture policy, black capitalist farmers have. Zimbabwes land reform since 2000 has been intensely controversial. 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. What has never changed in almost 30 years of implementing land reform has been the political setup and governance systems providing policy direction to the programme. A critical analysis of the land reform programme in zimbabwe francis chitsike, zimbabwe key words. Redistributive land reform and poverty reduction in zimbabwe. This pdf is made available under a creative commons. Indeed, these have been part of the reality but there have also been successes, which have thus far gone largely unrecorded.
The policy consists of the land reform programme and the indigenisation and economic empowerment act of 2008 iee act chowa, 20. This policy allowed government to acquire, for compensation, land that it deemed unproductive. Introduction this report is an interim assessment by the united nations development programmeled mission to assess progress of land reform in zimbabwe requested by both the government of zimbabwe and a committee of commonwealth foreign. It was used by the aging mugabe to gain political mileage and grip which he was losing to mdc led tsvanngirai. Jan 28, 20 most generally, the corrosive effect of uncertaintyfrom both continued political tensions, as well as the broader policy environment and rules of the gameon investment activity has been a nontrivial reason why the effects of land reform may actually be more pervasive and persistent than just looking at the agricultural sector. The paper contains a detailed overview of existing land policy in zimbabwe, providing indepth analysis of its prominent shortcomings and mapping out a way forward. The fast track land reform programme ftlrp in zimbabwe has been the focus of. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the land reform.
President mugabe and his ruling party capitalized on the land issue to regain political support, which was fading due to hard economic conditions prevailing in. Most coverage of zimbabwes land reform insists that. But simpkins said this land reform program did not benefit millions of zimbabweans, including farm workers. Zimbabwe was only able to acquire 3 million hectares 7. The literature on land in the 1980s is now quite extensive. The story is not simply one of collapse and catastrophe. The resultant sanctions brought about poor economic performance. Land reform in zimbabwe, class dynamics and delayed. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the land. Images of chaos, destruction and violence have dominated the coverage. However, reverend isaac mwase disputed this fact, stating that some families have benefited immensely from the land reform program.
This website presents material linked to an ongoing research project in masvingo province in the southeast of the country. Speakingofpressuresontheground,canyou talk about how the dynamics grew to push for land reform. A study on the impact of governance on land reform in. Although it is increasingly recognised that zimbabwes fast track land reform programme ftlrp, initiated in 2000, was redistributive moyo et al 2009. Evaluate the failures and or successes of land tenure reform in zimbabwe. Fast track land reform in zimbabwe centre for public impact. Land reform is probably one of the most difficult domestic policy issues to be dealt with by zimbabwe, namibia, south africa and australia. The fasttrack land reform programme has seen government allocating land to more than 310,000 families. Land reform in zimbabwe is the greatest flop in the world but a success in the eyes of zanu pfutseki.
Benefits and costs of land reform in zimbabwe with implications for southern africa, klaus deininger, hans hoogeveen and bill kinsey. Zimbabwe received financial assistance for land reform during the 1980s and 1990s from various governments. But conditions were put on the way that the money handed over could be used. 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. Most generally, the corrosive effect of uncertaintyfrom both continued political tensions, as well as the broader policy environment and rules of the gameon investment activity has been a nontrivial reason why the effects of land reform may actually be more pervasive and persistent than just looking at the agricultural sector. An evaluation of the impact of the zimbabwe land reform. 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. I consider tenure, landuse planning and development control, taxation, and direct public sector intervention in the land market. Speeding up the identification for compulsory acquisition of not less than. Conflicts, zimbabwean land reform programme, land question, female farm workers, fast track land reform 1. Zimbabwe, on one side of the spectrum, is facing a crisis in democratisation due to its radical approach to land reform. May 14, 2012 this series of 8 videos shows the experiences of some of the farmers who gained land following zimbabwes controversial land reform from 2000. Editorial introduction article pdf available in journal of peasant studies 385.
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. 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, implementation, land information system, cadastre, sustainable development. Land reform in zimbabwe has caught the worlds attention. Zimbabwe, on one side of the spectrum, is facing a crisis in. Zimbabwe land policy study 2 executive to undermine the independence of the judiciary and subvert the rule of law in order to remove obstacles to the implementation of the land reform programme. Introduction conflicts are a fact of life and part of our everyday existence. A study on the impact of governance on land reform in zimbabwe. Historical inequalities in zimbabwe demanded action by the government and its citizens. Zimbabwe agenda for sustainable socioeconomic transformation. The target for the inception phase is 1 million ha of land located in areas contiguous to congested communal areas redistributed to disadvantaged persons over a twoyear period. Nov 18, 2010 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. A critical analysis of the land reform programme in zimbabwe. South africa has just completed a land reform summit july 2005, and the process of land claims by black africans3 against white african commercial farmers has intensified.
The resultant sanctions brought about poor economic performance and untold suffering to the populace. At that time, most of the countrys arable land was owned by some 4,000 white farmers. A national land policy was formally proposed and enshrined as the zimbabwean land. Research work on the performance of zimbabwes land reforms, more so the extent to which the. Much of the literature on the political determinants of african economic policies that has been produced over the last decade seems to be motivated by the need. The programmes stated targets were intended to alter the ethnic balance of land ownership.
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