Zimbabwe's land reform: new political dynamics in the countryside

Abstract

The reconfiguration of land and economic opportunity following Zimbabwe's land reform from 2000 has resulted in a new politics of the countryside. This emerges from the processes of accumulation and differentiation set in train by the land reform. Yet these politics are contested: between the interests of new ‘middle farmers’ who are ‘accumulating from below’ and politically connected elites and large-scale capital who see different opportunities for land-based accumulation. These dynamics are being played out in different ways in different parts of the country, depending on the agroecological potential of the area, the way the land reform unfolded and local political actors and processes. Based on research over the past 14 years, this paper examines two areas in Masvingo province and develops a contrasting analysis of emerging political dynamics. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for the longer-term politics of agrarian change in Zimbabwe.

[La réforme foncière du Zimbabwe: les nouvelles dynamiques politiques en milieu rural.] La reconfiguration des opportunités économiques et foncières à la suite de la réforme foncière de 2000 a entrainé la formation d’une nouvelle politique en milieu rural. Cette dernière provient des processus d’accumulation et de différenciation découlant de la réforme foncière. Cette nouvelle dynamique politique est déjà contestée : entre les intérêts des nouveaux ‘paysans moyens’ qui ‘accumulent en partant du bas de l’échelle’ d’une part, et les élites politiquement connectées et du capital à grande échelle qui entrevoient différentes opportunités d’accumulation à partir du foncier d’autre part. Ces dynamiques se déroulent de manières différentes dans différentes régions du pays, en fonction du potentiel agro écologique de la zone, de la manière dont la réforme foncière s’est passée, et des processus et acteurs politiques locaux. A partir d’un travail de recherche sur 14 ans, cet article examine deux zones de la province de Masvingo et développe une analyse contrastée des dynamiques politiques émergentes. Cet article se conclut par une discussion sur les implications des changements agraires au Zimbabwe sur la politique à plus long terme.

Keywords:

• Zimbabwe
• Masvingo
• land reform
• agriculture
• politics
• livelihoods

Mots-clés:

• Zimbabwe
• Masvingo
• réforme foncière
• politique
• moyens de subsistance

Acknowledgements

The research reported here has been undertaken with a team of colleagues, most notably B. Z. Mavedzenge, who coordinates the field team, Felix Murimbarimba and Jacob Mahenehene. Earlier, Nelson Marongwe and Chrispen Sukume were involved in the Livelihoods after Land Reform in southern Africa project. During the mid 2000s, the research was supported by the UK Economic and Social Research Council through a grant to the Institute of Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies at University of Western Cape, South Africa for this project. Since then the work has been supported through the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex. The contents of this paper have been discussed at seminars and conferences at Sussex, the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, the University of Bologna at Forli and the SAPES Trust in Zimbabwe, as well as on the blog at http://www.zimbabweland.wordpress.com.

Notes on contributor

Ian Scoones is a Professorial Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex and Director of the ESRC STEPS Centre. He has worked on land, agriculture and rural development in Zimbabwe since the mid 1980s. He is the co-author of Zimbabwe's Land Reform: Myths and Realities (2010) and Hazards and Opportunities: Farming Livelihoods in Dryland Africa, Lessons from Zimbabwe (1996), among many other reports, articles and blogs (see http://www.ianscoones.net).

Notes

1 See also multiple blog contributions at http://www.zimbabweland.wordpress.com.

2 Assuming that nationally rural ‘accumulators' are found on 20% of communal area farms (Stanning 1989), 40% of A1 and old resettlement farms (see text), 50% of medium-scale A2 farms and 80% of remaining large-scale farms and farms in small-scale farming areas, this amounts to nearly two million people or approximately a quarter of the voting population. This calculation is based on Table 1, and the most recent national census and voter registration data, and is, as a result, only indicative, and probably an underestimate particularly in relation to new resettlement populations.

3 “The Golden Leaf: Boom Time in Zimbabwe.” Accessed April 23, 2014. http://zimbabweland.wordpress.com/2012/07/09/the-golden-leaf-boom-time-in-zimbabwe/

4 See blog series “How Have the ‘New Farmers' Fared? An Update on the Masvingo Study, Parts I–IV.” Accessed April 23, 2014. http://zimbabweland.wordpress.com/2014/04/21/1049/

5 “Food Crisis in Zimbabwe: 2.2 Million at Risk. But Where Do the Figures Come from and What Do They Mean?” Accessed April 23, 2014. http://zimbabweland.wordpress.com/2013/09/16/food-crisis-in-zimbabwe-2-2-million-a-risk-but-where-do-the-figures-come-from-and-what-do-they-mean/

6 “Who Took the Land? More on the Crony Debate.” Accessed April 23, 2014. http://zimbabweland.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/who-took-the-land-more-on-the-crony-debate/

7 “Geographies of Violence in Zimbabwe.” Accessed April 23, 2014. http://zimbabweland.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/geographies-of-violence/

8 “Evicted Villagers Demand Land Report.” The Zimbabwean, February 8, 2014. Accessed April 23, 2014. http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/news/zimsit_evicted-villagers-demand-land-report/

9 “Nuanetsi Bio-diesel Project: 25 Families to Be Evicted.” The Zimbabwe Standard, October 24, 2009. Accessed April 23, 2014. http://allafrica.com/stories/200910261325.html

10 “The Sweet Smell of Success. The Revival of Zimbabwe's Sugar Industry.” Accessed April 23, 2014. http://zimbabweland.wordpress.com/2013/01/28/the-sweet-smell-of-success-the-revival-of-zimbabwes-sugar-industry/; Scoones, Mavedzenge, and Murimbarimba (2014).

11 “Shangaan Speakers Invade Sugar Farms in Tribal War.” Radio VOP, September 12, 2012. Accessed April 23, 2014. http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/sep20_2012.html#Z14

12 “The MDC's Agenda for Real Transformation. Why the Land and Agriculture Sections Need More Thought.” Accessed April 23, 2014. http://zimbabweland.wordpress.com/2013/06/17/the-mdc-ts-agenda-for-real-transformation-art-why-the-land-and-agriculture-sections-need-mo re-thought/