1. Purpose of the conference
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The Southern African Regional Poverty Network (SARPN)1 hosted a two-day conference on land reform and poverty alleviation on the 4th and 5th of June 2001 at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) in Pretoria, South Africa. In keeping with the goals of the SARPN, the conference was designed to facilitate the sharing of perspectives on land issues in several Southern African countries and to generate debate about how pro-poor policy processes may be incorporated into land reform policy options in the region2. The central intention of the conference was to establish a set of policy recommendations and guidelines derived from land reform policy perspectives within the context of poverty alleviation in the region.
The event was organised by the SARPN in recognition of the importance of land reform for poverty alleviation and a concern about the perceived lack of progress with land reform in the region. Land reform has the potential to make a direct impact on poverty through targeted resource transfers, particularly in the rural areas. It is viewed as an instrument for redressing the inequities in access to economic opportunities and resources. Indeed, land reform literature is inundated with empirical arguments for land reform (Cousins, 1999; Adams, 2000; Toulmin & Quan, 2000). These arguments relate to the economic benefits derived from tenure security; the link between equality in the distribution of assets and positive economic growth; the advantages of smallholder agriculture from an efficiency standpoint; and the desirability of transferring land to efficient users through land sales and rental markets.
The need to keep land reform, and its linkages with poverty, on the public policy agenda is also arguably strengthened by the renewed interest by many African leaders and development agencies in revisiting the policy environment within which sustained economic development can take place in Africa. Land reform is vital if sustainable development is to take place in African countries. The Millennium Africa Plan (MAP), originally developed by Algeria, Nigeria and South Africa, and the Omega document, generated by the president of Senegal, are examples. They have been superseded by the African Initiative, adopted at the July 2001 meeting of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).
In order to explore the arguments in favour of land reform, invitations were extended to land practitioners from across the region. The participants were identified largely by existing regional land and agricultural networks and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), and through informal co-operation with international NGOs. The conference delegates consisted largely of members of civil society, which meant that civil society perspectives on the land debate in the region was emphasised. Although this meant that various government ministries and departments, the private sector and donor agencies were not fully represented, a two-day conference emphasising a wide range of regional issues cannot hope to effectively include all perspectives on the land debate. It is hoped that the lessons learned from the event and the recommendations will be disseminated within a wider field of actors in the region, especially those in government within the SADC region.
A good understanding of land ownership and the state of rural development in the countries of the region is important if land reform programmes are to make a real impact on reducing poverty levels. In designing the conference programme, emphasis was placed on ensuring representation from as much of the region as possible.
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Footnote:
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The broad goal of the network is to facilitate debate in the region
around poverty issues in a cross-sectoral way. It is believed that this
initiative, which will be conducted in conjunction with several regional
partners and agencies, can serve as a vital prompt to more focussed
debate and thinking.
See the SARPN website at http://www.hsrc.ac.za/corporate/conferences/sarpn/index.html
- The region is difficult to define as it is fractured in many ways under the SADC umbrella. The region should be taken loosely to mean the countries of Southern Africa: Lesotho,Swaziland,Botswana,Namibia,Zimbabwe,Malawi and Mozambique; rather than the Eastern and Central African countries that are members of the SADC.
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