A Transformative Social Policy Perspective on Land and Agrarian Reform in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Land and agrarian reform in former settler colonies is an overlooked aspect of social policy, especially in the African context. This is, however, changing with the recognition that it is a policy instrument with functional equivalents to other conventional forms of social policy. Since the cataclysmic COVID-19 pandemic exposed the shortcomings of conventional social policy approaches, a renewed interest in land and agrarian reforms has emerged. Increasingly there has been a call for the decolonisation of social policy in Africa and for transformative social policy (TSP) initiatives, which privilege local needs and policy perspectives. With scholarship crystallising around possibilities of post-pandemic social policy transformation, this article explores lessons that can be learned from Zimbabwe's agrarian welfare regime in dealing with the challenges of rural poverty and inequality. Using empirical evidence gathered from the Goromonzi and Zvimba districts in Zimbabwe and the analytical lenses of the TSP framework, this article argues that land reform beneficiaries in an agrarian welfare regime have better opportunities for the enhancement of their welfare and wellbeing, as well as their productive and reproductive capacities. Arguably, the pandemic highlighted that access to land enhances the resilience of land reform beneficiaries and surrounding communities. Land access can be utilised to overcome rural poverty and inequality, which makes it critical for inclusive and sustainable growth.