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The case for redistributing land – evidence from South Africa
A recent blog post by Chris Blattman alerted me to a new paper by Malcolm Keswell and Michael Carter based on an analysis of land reform in South Africa. Contrary to much other commentary, it found...
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Zimbabwe’s land myths exposed – implications for South Africa?
Percy Zvomuya of South Africa’s leading newspaper, the Mail and Guardian, has recently published a review of our book (the full text is below). He offers a very positive review and argues that every...
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An unbalanced economy: why mining should not dominate, and why agriculture...
Last week I reviewed some of the facts and figures in the recent 2013 budget statement. There are some definite bright spots, and the rebound since 2009 is impressive. But can Zimbabwe’s economy...
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The sweet smell of success: the revival of Zimbabwe’s sugar industry
A recent report by the USDA’s Global Agricultural Information Network has shown that Zimbabwe’s sugar industry is rebounding fast on the back of a 6% increase in area cultivated mostly by private...
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Zimbabwe’s poultry industry: rapid recovery, but major challenges
Zimbabwe’s poultry industry has shown massive growth since 2009. A range of sizes of units have sprung up everywhere – from the medium size units of 1000 birds to massive industrial scale operations....
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BRICS in Africa: new imperialism or a new development paradigm?
Last week, Durban hosted the 5th BRICS summit, with the heads of state from Brazil, Russia, India and China being hosted by President Zuma of South Africa. After a stopover in Russia, the new Chinese...
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Agrarian change, rural poverty and land reform: South Africa’s experience
An important special issue of the Journal of Agrarian Change was released earlier in the year on Agrarian Change, Rural Poverty and Land Reform in South Africa since 1994. The papers are free to...
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Difficult lessons from Zimbabwe that some South Africans just don’t want to hear
Respected South African journalist Max du Preez put his head above the parapet a few weeks ago and commented on the new book, Zimbabwe Takes Back Its Land. His article opened as follows: “It is...
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The people’s declaration: land in South Africa
A hundred years ago, the Natives’ Land Act was passed in South Africa. The implications of this far-reaching legislation are still felt today. This was discussed at the important Land, Race and Nation...
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Zimbabwe’s elections 2013: more confusion, more uncertainty
Zimbabwe’s trauma continues. The Zimbabwe Election Commission has announced a landslide victory for ZANU-PF. ZANU-PF reportedly took two-thirds of the parliamentary seats and President Mugabe won 61%...
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Old powers and new powers: agriculture and investment in Africa
Last week I chaired a fascinating panel discussion at a conference titled: “Emerging Powers: Going Global”. It was all about the new world order, and the role of China, Brazil, India and others,...
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Retail revolutions: the rise and rise of butcheries and informal food selling...
In last week’s blog I discussed the new beef production systems supplying meat to consumers in Masvingo province and beyond. A radically reconfigured pattern of land use and ownership has resulted in...
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Southern African sugar: new trends and opportunities?
Sugar is becoming an increasingly important commodity across the region. New areas are being planted and mills are being commissioned in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Swaziland, Zambia and elsewhere....
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A year on from ZANU-PF’s election victory: limits and constraints
On July 31 last year, ZANU-PF were victorious in the elections. The opposition was annihilated. The elections were disputed by many, and many questions were raised about the process, but most...
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Xenophobia and inequality: notes from the ‘Rainbow Nation’
I am currently in South Africa where liberal opinion is reeling from the latest wave of xenophobic attacks in Durban and other cities. Flamed by comments from Zulu King Zwelithini and Edward Zuma, the...
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BRICS and development: new hubs of agrarian capital
When talking about the BRICS countries and their role in development, there is a lot of hot air surrounding debates on ‘South-South cooperation’ and plenty of warm words offered about ‘mutual learning’...
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Drought politics in southern Africa
Why is it that droughts always seem to surprise, despite the warnings? The current El Niño drought is no exception, and the patterns of response (and lack of response) are remarkably familiar when...
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Chinese engagement in African agriculture is not what it seems
The reality of Chinese investment in African agriculture has yet to catch up with the hype. Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko On Zimbabweland this week, I want to share an article that appeared in The...
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Zimbabwe exports agricultural skills and entrepreneurship to South Africa
Recent reports have celebrated five Zimbabweans who have taken over 15 ha of land, part of a farm in Malmesbury near Cape Town in South Africa. The N7 farmers as they call themselves were allowed to...
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Why 50-60 million hectares should be transferred to smallholders in South...
Following on from last week’s blog on the N7 farmers from Malmesbury, this week I want to feature an excellent article by Ben Cousins from PLAAS in South Africa published recently in The Conversation....
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