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SARPN activities

Land Reform and Poverty Alleviation in Southern Africa 4-5 June 2001

For more details please contact:
Scott Drimie
eMail: SEDrimie@hsrc.ac.za
[Programme]     [Delegates]     [Papers]     [Report & analysis]

Report & analysis

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8. Appendix one: Country tables
Zimbabwe:
Key policy issues and challenges

Policies and programmes complementary to land reform Policy processes and political dynamics
  1. Holistic approach to agrarian reform (infrastructure, land reform, social, institutional) is required
  2. Realistic target setting
  1. Clarify objectives and processes for poverty alleviation and land reform
  2. Re-engage the policy process
  3. Is it about land reform or power? - define objectives clearly
No safeguards to ensure equity
State capacity The role of civil society
  1. Develop human resources to plan and implement sustainable approaches (fast track)
  2. Institutional transformation
  3. Conceptualise the impact of HIV/Aids on the land reform process
  1. Civil society is being excluded
  2. Strengthen lobbying — farm workers
   
Namibia:
Key policy issues and challenges

Policies and programmes complementary to land reform Policy processes and political dynamics
  1. Intensive use of land and increased productivity of current farming practices
  2. Collective farms - is it a problem of size or support?
  3. Absence of clear priorities for land reform
  4. Poor inter-ministerial co-operation
  5. Realistic target setting
  6. Develop integrated development programme for farm workers
  7. Redistribution/tenure reform not part of wider agrarian reform
  1. Lack of political will vs. ambiguity at policy level
  2. Political influence of potential beneficiaries
  3. Emotions vs. economics of land ownership
State capacity The role of civil society
  1. Lack of planning capacity
  2. State allocation of funds for post-transfer support does not match need
  3. Develop measures in order to assess land reform progress - links with assessing government's capacity
  4. Need policies in place to develop capacity of government to implement land reform
  5. Inadequate human resource capacity to develop community specific resettlement models
  1. Farm workers' rights require attention
  2. Limited capacity - particularly in research
  3. Clearly established structures for civil society input required - for policy process
  4. Make policy commitments
  5. Need for monitoring and evaluating the land resettlement programme
  6. Participatory approach required
  7. Low profile of civil society in a land debate dominated by the government
   
Mozambique:
Key policy issues and challenges

Policies and programmes complementary to land reform Policy processes and political dynamics
  1. Lack of effective models for investor-community relations
  2. Limited integration with other natural resource use programmes and protective legislation for the poor
  3. Land reform should be linked to other development initiatives such as eco-tourism drives of government
  1. Government should promote trust between political groups around the land reform process
  2. Lack of political support and/or understanding of land policy at lower levels of government
  3. Registration of title is subject to willingness of state - democratic rights issue
State capacity The role of civil society
  1. Tensions between the political interests of ruling party and social needs of people
  2. Urgently require sufficiently qualified personnel to implement land policy
  3. Necessary to design appropriate institutional mechanisms within decentralisation:
    • Outsourcing of government technical functions
    • ensuring participation in land planning, allocation and management
  4. Impact of HIV/Aids on state's capacity undermines human resources
  1. National NGOs generally weak and inexperienced, yet required for conflict resolution & participatory processes
  2. Lobbying and advocacy necessary to influence land reform
  3. NGOs required to source funding to support land reform process
  4. CBOs require better understanding of the implications of new legislation
   
Malawi:
Key policy issues and challenges

Policies and programmes complementary to land reform Policy processes and political dynamics
  1. Co-ordination between relevant departments lacking - this required for effective land reform
  2. Gender policy lacking
  3. HIV/Aids prevention and land reform should be mutually supportive
  1. Political will required to drive process
  2. Land reform will challenge authority of chiefs - a challenge for government
  3. Land reform will challenge position of commercial farmers - is the government serious about redistribution and prepared to challenge this sector?
  4. Marginalised need to be involved to change top-down process underway
  5. Short-term safety nets need to be linked to long-term land reform process to combat poverty effectively
State capacity The role of civil society
  1. Behind lack of co-ordination is a lack of state capacity - weak institutions are unable to co-ordinate effectively
  2. Impact of HIV/Aids on state's capacity undermines human resources
  1. Civil society not mobilised, yet required to participate to ensure objectives of land policy are met
  2. Advocate land issues
  3. Interpret policies and convey these to the public
  4. Ensure debate between traditional authorities and elected structures in terms of land reform objectives and processes
   
Lesotho:
Key policy issues and challenges

Policies and programmes complementary to land reform Policy processes and political dynamics
  1. If land reform is to combat poverty it should be:
    • linked to programmes to make the land more productive
    • supported by post land transfer policies to ensure production
    • linked to programmes intended to combat land degradation
  1. Government policy is ambivalent around the land policy objectives
  2. There is no structural connection between the land policy and poverty alleviation
  3. There should be non-discrimination when allocating land
  4. Tenure needs to be improved for investment and development
State capacity The role of civil society
  1. Scarce state and government resources a major concern
  1. The role of civil society is negligible
  2. Need genuine ongoing consultation during policy process
   
Swaziland:
Key policy issues and challenges

Policies and programmes complementary to land reform Policy processes and political dynamics
  1. Holistic approach to the rural sector required
  2. Link small-scale agriculture to markets
  3. Needs analysis required before land reform
  1. Political commitment to land reform is ambiguous
  2. Question around land access and tenure security
  3. Question around why the state is the driver of land reform
  4. Participation is essential
  5. Dual legal system problematic in terms of socio-cultural concerns and gender issues
  6. Define role of traditional authorities within policy
  7. Harmonise traditional law and democratic aspirations
State capacity The role of civil society
  1. With zero economic growth how can land reform be implemented?
  2. Weak state capacity requires alternative implementation strategies
  1. Civil society is an alternative forum to debate land issues
  2. Civil society required to engage with the dual legal system and separation of powers
  3. Question of who owns the land crucial - the state or the people?
   
South Africa:
Key policy issues and challenges

Policies and programmes complementary to land reform Policy processes and political dynamics
  1. Role of land reform in farm and non-farm rural development unclear
  2. Failure to link land reform and poverty alleviation clearly - what does poverty alleviation mean in reality?
  3. Dichotomy between land rights and
    4. economic development
  4. Sustainable technical support programmes required
  1. The advantages and disadvantages of communal tenure unclear
  2. Insufficient consultation with relevant stakeholders
  3. Neo-liberal prescriptions across sectors problematic
  4. Ambivalence on traditional authorities vis-а-vis democratic land holding
  5. Farm worker participation in land reform required
  6. Political rhetoric does not match practice
  7. Declining budgets, continual under-spending
  8. Urban priority for government - rural areas neglected
State capacity The role of civil society
  1. Impact of HIV/Aids on state capacity unknown
  2. Limited government capacity to implement land reform
  3. Government should outsource functions it cannot manage itself
  4. Lack of land reform skills, resources and capacity at all government levels
  5. Local government needs investment to proactively drive land reform in a supply-led approach
  1. Community-based approach to land reform necessary
  2. Alternative approaches to market-led land reform required - compulsory acquisition
  3. Civil society to build links between three legs of land reform
  4. Programmes required to monitor abuse of farm workers
  5. NGOs no longer influential
  6. Adversarial relationship between government and NGOs has negative impact
  7. No movement/pressure from below to drive land reform
  8. Give real content to gender policy
   

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