• Login
    View Item 
    •   OpenDocs Home
    • Institute of Development Studies Research Repository
    • ESRC STEPS Centre
    • ESRC STEPS Centre
    • View Item
    •   OpenDocs Home
    • Institute of Development Studies Research Repository
    • ESRC STEPS Centre
    • ESRC STEPS Centre
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Zimbabwe’s land reform: challenging the myths

    Thumbnail
    Download
    Submitted version. (836.7Kb)
    Date
    2011-12-16
    Author
    Sukume, Chrispen
    Mahenehene, Jacob
    Murimbarimba, Felix
    Mavedzenge, Blasio
    Marongwe, Nelson
    Scoones, Ian
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Impact
    Abstract
    Most commentary on Zimbabwe’s land reform insists that agricultural production has almost totally collapsed, that food insecurity is rife, that rural economies are in precipitous decline, that political ‘cronies’ have taken over the land and that farm labour has all been displaced. This paper however argues that the story is not simply one of collapse and catastrophe; it is much more nuanced and complex, with successes as well as failures. The paper provides a summary of some of the key findings from a ten-year study in Masvingo province and the book Zimbabwe’s Land Reform: Myths and Realities. The paper documents the nature of the radical transformation of agrarian structure that has occurred both nationally and within the province, and the implications for agricultural production and livelihoods. A discussion of who got the land shows the diversity of new settlers, many of whom have invested substantially in their new farms. An emergent group ‘middle farmers’ is identified who are producing, investing and accumulating. This has important implications – both economically and politically – for the future, as the final section on policy challenges discusses.
    URI
    https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/3854
    Citation
    Scoones, Ian, et al. "Zimbabwe's land reform: challenging the myths." Journal of Peasant Studies 38.5 (2011): 967-993.
    More details
    http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/03066150.2011.622042
    Rights holder
    Taylor and Francis
    Rights details
    http://www.ids.ac.uk/files/dmfile/IDSOpenDocsStandardTermsOfUse.pdf
    Sponsor
    ESRC
    Collections
    • ESRC STEPS Centre [221]

    About OpenDocs | OpenDocs Policy | Help | Contact Us | Send Feedback | Disclaimer and Cookies
     

     

    Browse

    All of OpenDocsCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    About OpenDocs | OpenDocs Policy | Help | Contact Us | Send Feedback | Disclaimer and Cookies