LAND REFORM AND CHANGING AGRARIAN LABOUR PROCESSES IN ZIMBABWE
Date
2011-03-23
Authors
Chambati, Walter Spear Simbarashe
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Abstract
This study examines the transformation of the agrarian employment in the former largescale
commercial farming sector (LSCF) after the implementation of the Fast Track Land
Reform Programme (FTLRP) by the government of Zimbabwe that redistributed over 80
percent of the farms to mostly landless peasants from the communal areas. The key
question posed is whether the transfer of land from the former large-scale commercial
farmers has created or inhibited opportunities for rural labour to gain incomes and/or
livelihoods through self employment as own agricultural producers or in paid wage work.
The study was based on a questionnaire survey administered in newly resettled
households in Zvimba District and secondary data sources. Various statistical tools were
utilised to answer the study’s research questions. Firstly, descriptive statistics were used
to characterise the forms of labour that have emerged in the newly resettled areas.
Secondly, the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test was used to examine the differences
in the labour utilisation across the different farm sizes allocated under the FTLRP. Lastly
the Chi-Square test was used to relate different factors which were thought to affect the
utilisation of labour in newly resettled areas. The study found that FTLRP has been
accompanied by the degree of self employment as own producers among newly resettled
households in the former wage labour market, although some hired in labour. Hired
labour was dominated by casual workers. In comparison to the past scenario the size of
the agricultural employment had increased, but new and former farm workers earned
unviable wages and benefits and were thus less protected than those in other LSCF
subsectors. There was also underutilisation and loss of skills of former farm workers
employed in the former LSCF sector. Larger farms with access to capital equipment such
as tractors tended to use more absolute hired labour and permanent workers per unit of
cropped area, whilst the smaller farms utilised more family and casual labour per unit of
cropped area. Across the small and large farms in newly resettled areas, labour use per
unit of cropped area was higher compared to the former LSCF sector. In conclusion the
land reform programme has the potential to generate employment and thus solve the
growing unemployment problem in Zimbabwe, but the capacity of new farmers has to be
enhanced to fully utilise their land which is still below its potential through the resolution
of production constraints that include finance, skills, input shortages and extension
services.
Description
MM - P&DM
Keywords
Land reform - Zimbabwe, Agrarian policies - Zimbabwe