Contextualizing Zimbabwe's land reform: long-term observations from the first generation

In the heat of the discussions about the fast-track land reform programme (FTLRP) in Zimbabwe, little attention is given to the experience with land reform immediately following independence. Understanding these past experiences is useful to contextualize current challenges. Although the farmers resettled in the early 1980s started out in a completely different political and economic environment, the challenges in establishing their farms and communities were, at least to some extent, very similar to those reported today. However, livelihoods developed by the farmers in the old resettlement areas have been severely constrained by the macro-economic context. We argue that any discussion on the success of FTLRP should acknowledge the impact of the devastating macroeconomic context on the opportunities for smallholder farmers to establish their farms and become agriculturally productive.