A one page briefing for the World Bank (and IMF) AGMs in Prague September 2000 ‘to help journalists, decision-makers and civil society better understand the criticisms levelled against the World Bank.’ Argues that civil society is highly critical of the World Bank’s chequered history on land reform, which has combined arrogance and ignorance, an unwillingness to listen or to look critically at alleged successes such as Thailand or Kenya. New market assisted land reforms have failed to address political realities or power relations on the ground.

Examines the impact of the recent farm invasions in Zimbabwe. The independence compromises forced on Zimbabwe (and Namibia and South Africa) implied the legitimation of a century and more of past white land grabbing which could only be changed with the consent of the beneficiaries of this past expropriation. But Mugabe has now torn up the old rules of the game and let the genie of redistribution out of the bottle, earning himself much popular support elsewhere in Africa and causing alarm to many governments and a hasty revision of existing plans for land reform.

Report of a workshop at the LSE. Contains list of participants, outline of the workshop and discussion notes by Gavin Capps, report on the workshop by Simon Batterbury, and remarks prepared for the workshop by Abie Ditlhake (South African NGO Coalition). The workshop aimed to grasp recent changes in land policy in South Africa and enable activists and analysts to take stock and discuss responses. Includes discussion of paper by Ruth Hall and Gavin Williams and presentation by Ben Cousins.

A summary of a larger study. Examines the relationship of people’s rights in land to the manner in which they may be involved in the management of forests in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Lesotho and to a lesser degree Botswana and Swaziland. Includes examination of property relations, state power, land reform, recognition of customary rights, the changing nature of tenure, and the impact of new land law on community forest rights.

Compares land reform in Scotland and Africa. Examines the role of land, patterns of land holding, where is ultimate power vested, the role of customary chiefs and landowners, getting people to participate, who is the community, consultation, who is driving the agenda. Argues that legislative change alone is not enough.

Series of slides presented at a talk to the Royal African Society covering land tenure in Africa: common features; book outline; West Africa; land commissions, national land policies and land laws; implementation problems; Uganda Land Act 1998; land reform in South Africa 1994-9; tenure reform blocked in South Africa; conclusions; new approaches to land rights management; role of donors; Zimbabwe land invasions – different interpretations; Zimbabwe land chronology.

Examines international evidence on the relationship between asset ownership and growth and the impact of redistributive land reform, plus evidence of the impact of land reform in Zimbabwe. Asks why it appears that resettled farmers are among the poorest in the population. Concludes that asset redistribution can be a viable strategy to enhance growth, that the performance of resettled farmers in Zimbabwe is better than is conventionally believed, and that if a land reform programme is well designed, it can have a large impact on equity as well as productivity.

One page boxes summarising recent land reform developments in the countries listed.

A Background Briefing covering the issue, the UK’s help for resettlement, Zimbabwe Government policies, UK land resettlement policy from 1997, DFID support for land resettlement – the way forward, other DFID support for poor people in rural areas. Says the UK believes that Zimbabwe needs land reform to reduce poverty, that the principles agreed at the 1998 Land Conference should be observed, and that the UK is willing to fund schemes which are focused on helping the poor and are transparent.

Factual summary of latest developments, including constitutional review, farm invasions, resettlement programme, land policy, maximum farm sizes.

Resumen En la mayoría de los países de América Latina, los temas relacionados con la tenencia de tierras ocupan un lugar destacado en el programa político. En la búsqueda de soluciones para este problema, ha llamado considerablemente la atención en los últimos años el mecanismo de mercado como un sistema potencialmente capaz de producir una distribución más eficiente y equitativa no sólo de recursos, sino también de oportunidades económicas. Estos cambios se evidencian, por ejemplo, en recientes reformas legales importantes en Bolivia, México o Perú.

A response to the Minister’s Briefing (below). Asks who is land redistribution really serving. Challenges false dichotomy between commercial and subsistence agriculture. Need for government programmes to be open to close scrutiny by civil society.