Summary

Despite commitments to land reform, impacts have not been accurately assessed. By collecting empirical data in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, comparing across sites in three national settings, and synthesising findings, the project will provide insights into livelihood impacts and wider patterns of agrarian change in post-land reform settings in southern Africa. It will also seek to understand the conditions that result in poverty reduction following land redistribution, advance conceptual thinking about post-settlement livelihood options, and develop replicable methodological approaches for assessing impacts at different scales.

A pivotal issue at the centre of the land reform debate is the issue of the ‘viability’ of new land-based livelihoods. Are new settlers capable of using the land in a productive manner? Are they likely to achieve food security in the short term?  Will the scheme be sustainable in the longer term? However, a deeper and conceptually well-informed examination of what is meant by ‘viability’ is often absent: viability for whom? Over what scale/time period? In relation to what criteria? To date the debate about viability has largely focused on the scale and profitability of production, based on conventional farm management planning/business models. Interrogating the notion of viability and exploring methodologies for livelihood impact assessment goes to the core of the land reform debate in the region, exposing deeply contested notions of what constitute appropriate resettlement models, production types and routes to sustainability.

Research will focus on livelihood impacts in South Africa (Limpopo Province), Zimbabwe (Masvingo Province) and Namibia (Kunene, Otjozondjupa, Oshikoto and Omaheke regions). Sites have been chosen because they are the focus for on-going land redistribution efforts, are broadly comparable in terms of agro-ecology, existing support infrastructure and livelihood profiles and are areas where the applicants have extensive field contacts. Field sites represent a range of different land redistribution settings, such as low-input, dryland agriculture and livestock production; joint venture arrangements for high-value irrigated crops such as horticulture and sugar; and wildlife or tourism-based enterprises.

Within each site, data will be collected through qualitative and quantitative methods at both individual household and scheme level. These household and scheme level data will be complemented by a district or provincial/regional level assessment of the wider economic and social impacts of land reform. The methodological approach employed will necessarily be cross-disciplinary drawing on inter alia dynamic livelihood pathway assessments; agricultural/farm economics; social network analysis; social dynamics and gender analysis and environmental impact appraisal. Data collection techniques will be equally diverse, ranging from household surveys to participatory appraisal, ethnographic observation and crop/farm modelling.

The project will unfold over three phases: a) establishment of a research and engagement strategy (6m); b) main field research period (24m); c) dissemination and policy networking (6m). Engagement objectives include developing a replicable methodology for livelihood impact assessment, monitoring and evaluation; providing inputs into the design of support programmes in post-land reform settings; facilitating exchanges between researchers, government officials, service providers and land reform beneficiaries; and feeding research findings into policy discussions on land reform in southern Africa.

The project will be hosted and coordinated by the Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies of the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, and implemented in close collaboration with partners in Zimbabwe, Namibia and at IDS, UK.