Resource information
This paper represents a provisional attempt to assess whether Zimbabwe’s land reform coherently addresses the issue of poverty reduction. It examines the short-term outcome(s) of the reform programme in relation to its initial objectives. More specifically, it examines its impact on farm-workers. The majority of farm workers lost jobs in the process as well as access to housing and social services such as health care and schools. Thus the outcome of the programme has been the loss of jobs and livelihoods by farm workers on the one hand, and the acquisition of land as a resource by several hundred thousand small farmers, and black commercial farmers. The paper argues that social exclusion explains the historical and contemporary marginalization of farm workers with profound social consequences for this group. After laying out an analytical framework for the discussion, the paper draws on recently gathered empirical material on farm workers’ incomes, access to basic social services and food security. These aspects have invariably been adversely affected by the land reform process. Applying the concept of “chronic poverty”, the paper considers the conditions of the more vulnerable sections of the farm worker population, the impact of HIV-AIDS on them, and their coping strategies. [author's abstract]
