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. Zimbabwes land reform since 2000 has been intensely controversial. The fasttrack land reform and agrarian change in zimbabwe. Robert mugabe wanted to use his land reform program to eliminate the traces of colonialism by giving farms to black. Land reform in the twenty years after independence. In this paper we focus on the latter, in particular on the costs and bene. The lessons from zimbabwes land reform for its neighbors. 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.
Zimbabwes fast track land reform program ftlrp formally began with the land acquisition act of 2002. Pdf an overview of fast track land reform in zimbabwe. This paper assesses the potential consequences of a land reform. Matondi phd abstract on the 28th of june 2019, the government of zimbabwe announced that it has evoked a policy instrument that allows for joint ventures jvs and subletting of land for agriculture purposes. A mere reference to land reforms in zimbabwe raised eyebrows. It is the human tragedy of the socalled land reform programme that is the. Land reform is probably one of the most difficult domestic policy issues to be dealt with by zimbabwe, namibia, south africa and australia. With these indicators, the viability of land reform in zimbabwe is questionable. Economic benefits and costs of land redistribution in zimbabwe in. Joint ventures and land subletting in the fast track land reform program in zimbabwe. 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. Speeding up the identification for compulsory acquisition of not less than. Fast track land reform in zimbabwe written by claudia irigoyen africa infrastructure economics and finance the zimbabwean government began its land reforms in the 1980s to address the imbalances in land access ownership and use that had existed in the country before independence. Case studies, government policy, land reform, land settlement, land use, rural, rural land use, sustainable.
Zimbabwe received financial assistance for land reform during the 1980s and 1990s from various governments. This led to the government, which was also now facing other economic problems due to the esap program to run out of money for land reform. A small minority of white largescale commercial farmers owned and. Zimbabwes fast track land reform has generated significant attention in southern. Robert mugabe promised a new revolutionary land reform programme, to redistribute land without inhibitions. 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.
Usaidzimbabwe and the land tenure center of the university of wisconsin to provide technical assistance, training, capacity building and research in support of zimbabwes land reform and resettlement program ii lrrp ii. Print and ebook editions of this work are available to zed books. Land reform is a zimbabwe success story it will be the basis for economic recovery under mnangagwa november 29, 2017 9. World media demonised zimbabwe and the fasttrack land reforms which were initiated in 1999. Introduction at independence in 1980 zimbabwe inherited a highly skewed pattern of land distribution.
Much of this land was previously cattle ranches, with limited. Land reform is a zimbabwe success story it will be the. Land reform in zimbabwe has been highly controversial. His latest publication by zed books is biofuels, land grabbing and food. The need for land reform south africa suffered a long history of colonization, racial domination and land dispossession that resulted in the bulk of the agricultural land being owned by a white minority. Prior to 2000 zimbabwe was hailed as a conservation success story, with large areas of commercial private land outside of national parks being used to support wildlife. The second phase of the land redistribution and resettlement programme in the form of the fast track land reform programme ftlrp, which started in 2000, has created an expanded number and array of small, medium and large scale farms, and effectively transferring ownership from the minority, white farmers to new indigenous farmers. The domino effect of the present land reform policy has resulted in zimbabwes gdp shrinking by 4. Land reform is probably one of the most difficult domestic policy issues to be. Overall impacts of fast track land reform programme.
He has published widely and has contributed to many national, regional and international networks on land and agrarian reform issues. In this section, we zero in on masvingo province in the central south and east of the country. Fast track land reform in zimbabwe centre for public impact. 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. At independence in 1980 zimbabwe inherited a highly skewed pattern of land distribution. The invasion of the largely whiteowned farms, accompanied by violent evictions and wholesale and wanton destruction and looting in 2000, led to a crisis between the judiciary and the executive that resulted in most of the judiciary being forced out of office. The governments land reform program, char acterized by chaos and violence, badly damaged commercial farming. Land reform in zimbabwe officially began in 1980 with the signing of the lancaster house. Background to the research 2 land reform in zimbabwe 3. Government will at all times act in the best interest of our nation. In neighboring zimbabwe, widespread violence, rampant theft, and farm invasions plague zimbabwe s land reform program.
The distribution was unequal and gender insensitive. Zimbabwe has a long history of land reform that dates back to the early 1980s. It argues that in order to understand zimbabwes land reform, we have to look at the specific political context in particular places, avoiding generalizations. Doc the land reform as a rural development in zimbabwe. Fast track land reform in zimbabwe centre for public. A quantitative analysis of zimbabwes land reform policy core.
The zimbabwean government will then at last be able to tackle the contentious and highly politicised land. This paper assesses the potential consequences of a land reform scheme that draws on proposals. Land reform in zimbabwe free international relations and. Kinsey free university amsterdam, amsterdam, the netherlands university of zimbabwe, harare, zimbabwe summary. Much of the scholarship of zimbabwes land reform since 2000 has been deeply divided. This movement was officially termed the fasttrack land reform program ftlrp. Political economy analysis of fast track land reform. These studies have reported an internal rate of return to the program that exceeds 20%. Britain, the us and other donor countries stopped donating to the land reform as they deemed it corrupt and unfair if the government compulsorily acquired farms. This is an issue which was present in zimbabwe during the early 2000s, when fears of genocide and ethnic cleansing were touted by local and international media outlets.
This pdf is made available under a creative commons. Land reform in zimbabwe, 19801990 robin palmer introduction on 18 april 1990 zimbabwe celebrates the 10th anniversary of its independence. There is widespread agreement on the need for land reform in zimbabwe as a means of reducing poverty. It was used by the aging mugabe to gain political mileage and grip which he was losing to mdc led tsvanngirai. This is further corroborated by literature from undergraduate and postgraduate students who have done researchwork on resettlement areas, especially in masvingo province. Africa zimbabwe s fasttrack land reform shows little benefit 15 years on.
Fast track land reform resulted in a radical and widespread restructuring of the agrarian. The social, political and economic transformative impact of the fast track land reform programme on the lives of women farmers in goromonzi and vungugweru districts of zimbabwe page 1 table of contents list of tables, figures and boxes ii introduction 1 1. In zimbabwes current crisis, it is easy to overlook the fact that the country had a. This website presents material linked to an ongoing research project in masvingo province in the southeast of the country. Simultaneously, the famous lancaster house constitution expires. Nov 29, 2017 land reform is a zimbabwe success story it will be the basis for economic recovery under mnangagwa november 29, 2017 9. The land reform as a rural development in zimbabwe,academic analysis. Disparity between policy design and implementation medicine masiiwa institute of development studies university of zimbabwe may 2004 note. Land reform in zimbabwe university of south africa. Jan 28, 20 land reform in zimbabwe is the greatest flop in the world but a success in the eyes of zanu pfutseki.
Zimbabwe, on one side of the spectrum, is facing a crisis in democratisation due to its radical approach to land reform. The land reform programme in zimbabwe has been a major area of international discussion for almost five years now. Government will continue to accelerate the pace of land reform within the framework of the constitution of the republic of south africa, respective legislation and according to the rule of law. In april 2009, a tribunal of the international centre for settlement of investment disputes icsid ordered the government of zimbabwe to compensate a group of dutch nationals whose farms were expropriated under zimbabwes controversial land reform program. The impact of land reform in zimbabwe on the conservation of cheetahs and other large carnivores. The dutch claimants in the case, bernardus henricus funnekotter and others v. The impact of land reform in zimbabwe on the conservation of cheetahs and other large carnivores thesis pdf available october 2011 with 7,798 reads how we measure reads. Overturning the settler colonial pattern of land use and creating a new agrarian structure has had farreaching consequences. The assessment of the performance of the land reform program, or for that matter, its. Zimbabwe s land reform policies and president robert. But conditions were put on the way that the money handed over could be used. Land reform in south africa is a moral, social and economic imperative. In each of these countries the process of land reform is incomplete.
It has led to zimbabwe s economic and social collapse. Section 2 discusses the land reform programme in zimbabwe since independence. A critical analysis of the land reform programme in zimbabwe. The importance of land reform programs is that it helps in conservation of land and the environment at large. Land has been a source of political conflict in zimbabwe since colonization, when the country was known as rhodesia, both within indigenous black communities and especially between white settlers and the black rural communities. The fast track land reform programme ftlrp in zimbabwe has been the focus of. The first phase of land reform was implemented in zimbabwe in the 1980s, so when the ftlrp was launched the government had experience of the nature of the process and its repercussions. Most coverage of zimbabwes land reform insists that agricultural production has almost totally collapsed, that food insecurity is rife, that rural economies are in. Evaluate the failures and or successes of land tenure reform in zimbabwe.
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