Zimbabwe’s Land Reform: Myths & realities

Ten years after the Zimbabwean land invasions of 2000, this title provides the first full account of the consequences of these dramatic events. This land reform overturned a century-old pattern of land use, one dominated by a small group of large-scale commercial farmers, many of whom were white. But what replaced it? This title challenges five myths through the examination of the field data from Masvingo province: Myth 1 Zimbabwean land reform has been a total failure; Myth 2 The beneficiaries of land reform have been largely political ‘cronies’; Myth 3 There is no investment in the new resettlements; Myth 4 Agriculture is in complete ruins creating chronic food insecurity; Myth 5 The rural economy has collapsed. By challenging these myths, and suggesting alternative policy narratives, this book presents the story as it has been observed on the ground: warts and all. What comes through very strongly is the complexity, the differences, almost farm by farm: there is no single, simple story of the Zimbabwe land reform as sometimes assumed by press reports, political commentators, or indeed much academic study.