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Does land redistribution in southern Africa achieve poverty reduction and livelihood improvement objectives?
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The Research Team
Michael Aliber
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| He holds an MA in Public Policy from
the University of Michigan (1988) and a PhD in Agricultural and Applied
Economics from the University of Wisconsin (2000). He presently holds
the rank of Research Director at the Human Sciences Research Council in
Pretoria, where he conducts research projects on land reform, rural
development and poverty reduction. He was formerly a technical
assistant to the Department of Land Affairs (1998-2001), and apart from
South Africa has undertaken research and/or consultancy work related to
land policy in Lesotho, Botswana, Malawi, Uganda and Kenya.
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Ben Cousins
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| Ben holds a DPhil
in applied social science from the University of Zimbabwe (1997), and a
BA in Sociology and Geography from the University of South Africa
(1982). He currently holds a chair in Development Management at the
University of the Western Cape, and has directed the Programme for Land
and Agrarian Studies in the university’s School of Government since its
inception (1995-). He has worked in agricultural training and extension
in Swaziland (1976-1983) and Zimbabwe (1983-1986), and carried out
research into rural social dynamics in Zimbabwe (1986-1991) and South
Africa (1991-2006). Recent publications include: ‘Debating the Politics
of Land Occupations’, Journal of Agrarian Change, Vol 6, No. 4:
584-597, 2006; ‘Agrarian reform and the two economies: transforming
South Africa’s countryside’, in: L. Ntsebeza and R. Hall (eds), The
Land Question in South Africa: the Challenge of Transformation and
Redistribution, Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council Press,
2006. |
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Stephen Greenberg
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| Stephen is
research manager at Khanya-African Institute for Community-Driven
Development (Khanya-aicdd). He is a researcher and an editor in the
fields of agriculture, food, land and rural development, working
extensively with research and environmental organisations. In 2006, he
was the team leader in a case study on land reform and economic
development in Maluti-a-Phofung (Free State) for the HSRC. From 1999 to
2001, he was a policy researcher at the Environmental Agency Trust
(EDA), where he did field research and policy analysis, and capacity
building on research and policy. He holds a MA in Geography and
Environmental Studies (2002) and a BA (Hon.) in Sociology from the
University of Witwatersrand (1994). He is currently working on his PhD
degree. |
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Nelson Marongwe
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| Nelson is an
independent Zimbabwean researcher on land reform and rural development.
He is currently a Research Fellow on an IDRC funded Research Project,
focusing on fast track resettlement in Zimbabwe and its impact on
forestry resources. Other recent work has included research on
the role of Traditional Authority in Community Based Natural Resource
Management, and on Fast Track resettlement in Mazowe, Shamva and
Makonde Districts, focusing on the infrastructure development needs and
the state of the environment in the newly settled areas. Marongwe holds
a B.Sc. RUP [Hon] and an MA [Environmental Policy and Planning], and is
currently studying for PhD at PLAAS, entitled Interrogating Zimbabwe’s
Fast Track Resettlement Programme: a focus on beneficiary
selection. |
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B.Z. Mavedzenge
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| He is a research
technician with the Agricultural Research and Extension Service of
Zimbabwe, based in Masvingo. From 1981-2004 he was team leader of the
Masvingo province team of the Department of Research and Specialist
Services’ Farming Systems Research Unit. He is a contributing author to
‘Hazards and Opportunities: Farming Livelihoods in Dryland Africa –
Lessons from Zimbabwe’ (Zed, 1996). |
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Themba Maluleke
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| Themba is a field
researcher and community activist concerned with land and HIV/AIDS
issues. He joined PLAAS in July 2005 and is based in the Limpopo
Province. He previously worked at Nkuzi Development Association,
conducting research into the impact of HIV/AIDS on land reform and
land-based livelihoods. He is the provincial representative of the
Treatment Action Campaign. He is also a member of the District Youth
Council in the Makhado sub-region, where he serves on the secretariat.
He holds a National Diploma in Teaching and will graduate with
Post-Graduate Diploma in Land and Agrarian Studies in 2007. |
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Tshilio Mananzhe
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| He previously
worked at Nkuzi Development Association, a land rights NGO in Limpopo
Province. He joined PLAAS as a researcher in July 2006, is based in
Limpopo Province and carries out research on land reform and rural
livelihoods. His association with PLAAS started in 2003 when he
registered for the MPhil in Land and Agrarian Studies. He is currently
working on his mini-thesis, entitled ……. |
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Willem Odendaal
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| He holds an LLM
in International Environmental Law from the University of Oxford
Brookes (2002) and a BA Hons (Development Management) from the
University of Stellenbosch (1995). He is the coordinator and researcher
of the Land, Environment and Development Project (LEAD) of the Legal
Assistance Centre (LAC) in Windhoek, Namibia. He has done research and
consultancies on the Namibian resettlement programme, land reform
legislation and policy, farm workers’ tenure rights, urban land and
housing rights, and the impact of communal land reform legislation on
women and minority groups, such as the San. |
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Ian Scoones
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| He is a Natural
Resource Ecologist interested in exploring the links between ecological
dynamics and local resource management with a focus on dryland areas in
Africa, particularly Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. Research with an
interdisciplinary perspective has involved examining issues of
rangeland and pastoral development, soil and water conservation,
forestry and woodland management, as well as biodiversity and protected
area issues. A social and institutional perspective is at the centre of
his work, which explores the linkages between local knowledges and
practices and the processes of scientific enquiry, development
policy-making and field-level implementation. Recent publications
include Leach, M., and Scoones, I. (2006) The Slow Race: Making
Technology Work for the Poor, Demos Pamphlet ; Scoones, I. (2006)
Science, Agriculture and the Politics of Policy: The Case of
Biotechnology in India, India: Orient Longman; Scoones, I., deGrassi,
A., Devereux, S., and Haddad, L. (eds) (2005) IDS Bulletin, 36.2,
Brighton: IDS; Leach, M., Scoones, I., and Wynne, B. (2005) Science and
Citizens: Globalization and the Challenge of Engagement, London and NY:
Zed Press |
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Chrispen Sukume
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| Chrispen is an
Assistant Professor in the Department for Agricultural Economics and
Extension at the University of Zimbabwe. He has contributed extensively
to recent discussions about land reform, including inputs into the 2005
World Bank review. Key publications include: ‘Comparative advantage of
crop production in Zimbabwe’ (USAID, 2000); ‘Land reform in Zimbabwe:
farm level effects and cost-benefit analysis’ (IFPRI, 2002) and ‘Impact
of subdivision policy on land delivery’ (CASS/Land Tenure Center,
2003) |
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Shadrack Tjiramba
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| Shadrack is a
junior researcher with the Land, Environment and Development (LEAD)
Project of the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC). Shadrack joined the LAC
in February 2004 after completing a National Diploma in Land Management
at the Polytechnic of Namibia. Shadrack has conducted research on land
reform related topics such as the Agricultural (Commercial) Land Reform
Act, the Affirmative Action Loan Scheme, and the Flexible Land Tenure
System. |
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Wolfgang Werner
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| Wolfgang is an
independent researcher associated with the Desert Research Foundation
of Namibia. He obtained a PhD in Economic History from the
University of Cape Town and an MA in Rural Social Development from the
University of Reading. He was Director of Lands in the MLR from
1990-1995 after which he joined the Namibian Economic Policy Research
Unit. Since 2002 he has been associated with the DRFN. He
has done research and consultancies on land tenure issues, land reform
policy and rural poverty. Recent publications include … |
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Some comments and reflections on the World Bank land study Terms of Reference
Contested paradigms of ‘viability’ in redistributive land reform: perspectives from southern Africa (Ben Cousins & Ian Scoones)
