Land Reform in Zimbabwe: Constraints and Prospects: (Routledge Revivals)

This title was first published in 2000. Drs Tanya Bowyer-Bower and Colin Stoneman compile the views of top researchers, members of Government, civil society, NGOs, funders, and Zimbabwe’s three farmers’ unions. The history of land reform in Zimbabwe is addressed and the current proposed reform policies, comparison between programmes elsewhere in Southern Africa, and implications including for rural and urban welfare, the economy, the environment, the law, and for women. The result is an invaluable overview of this crucial and contentious issue, including constructive suggestions for consensual ways forward.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Land reform’s constraints and prospects: policies, perspectives and ideologies in Zimbabwe today, Dr T.A.S. Bowyer-Bower and Dr. Colin Stoneman; Mugabe’s ’land grab’ in regional perspective, Dr Robin Palmer; A review of the UK ODA evaluation of the land resettlement programme in 1998 and the land appraisal mission of 1996, Professor John Cusworth; The politics of land reform in Zimbabwe, Professor Lionel Cliffe; Zimbabwe land policy and the land reform programme, Edited by Dr. Colin Stoneman; Theory into practice: perspectives on land reform of the farmers’ unions of Zimbabwe, Dr T.A.S. Bowyer-Bower; The political economy of land redistribution in the 1990s, Professor Sam Moyo; Implications for poverty of land reform in Zimbabwe: insights from the findings of the 1995 poverty assessment survey study, Dr T.A.S Bowyer-Bower; The implications of land reform for rural welfare, Dr B.H. Kinsey; Zimbabwean people’s perceptions of the land resettlement programme: the case of rural-urban migrants, Dr Debby Potts; The enduring appeal of technical development in Zimbabwe’s Agrarian reform, Dr J. Alexander; Resource implications of land resettlement in Zimbabwe: insights from woodland changes, Dr Jennifer A. Elliott; Land inheritance issues in Zimbabwe today, Dr Simon Coldham; Land reform versus customary law: what about women?, Jenny Brown; The effects of land reform on gender relations in Zimbabwe, Dr Suzie Jacobs; Land reform in Zimbabwe: dimensions of a reformed land structure, Professor Mandivamna Rukuni; Index.

About the Author :
Dr T.A.S. Bowyer-Bower, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK Colin Stoneman, University of Leeds, UK

Review :
’This book, which provides a detailed exposition of the current situation and future prospects, could...not be more timely. Its conclusions will also be germane for other former settler countries in Southern Africa.’ Professor David Simon, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK ’...this highly informative collection...provides a detailed overview of the historical, legal, political, and economic aspects of land redistribution in Zimbabwe since its independence in 1980.’ Foreign Affairs ’...by offering a glimpse behind the headlines of a story currently in the news, the text provides an interesting case study on land reform. This book will be an interesting read for anyone with a general interest in southern Africa or in questions of land reform, and a useful addition to a sixth form or undergraduate library.’ Geography ’This excellent book...carefully edited...comprises 16 chapters from a multitude of positions and disciplines. These range froom a characteristically trenchant critique by Oxfam’s Robin Palmer...through illuminating contributions by the editors themselves...to complementary chapters by Lionel Cliffe and Sam Moyo which between them brilliantly trace the political economy of land reform and redistribution over the first two decades of Independence; and...two particularly stimulating accounts by Jenny Brown and Susie Jacobs...’ The Round Table '...a useful volume.' European Journal of Development Research '...the book offers valuable insight into emerging outcomes of land resettlement just before the farm invasions began. Although overtaken by the fast changing developments on the ground, the book is still an important record of the policy debates that preceded the unfolding crisis. With short and succinct chapters by prominent scholars and practitioners from various disciplines, the book makes easy reading of a complex area of study.' Journal of Modern African Studies