Agrarian reform and prospects for recovery

Abstract

Since September 15, 2008, when the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formations signed an interparty agreement to work together toward a peaceful democratic transition, sustainable development, and the normalization of relations, debates over Zimbabwe’s economic recovery and development strategy have intensified. Various donors, including the Multi-Donor Trust Fund1 managed by the World Bank (WB), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Harare,2 the "Fishmongers"3 donor group, and key "think tanks"4 have proffered strategies. The Government of Zimbabwe’s (GoZ) budget5 and monetary statements6 have also charted a new path of economic liberalization. A few Zimbabwean policy groups-Labour and Economic Development Research Institute of Zimbabwe (LEDRIZ), African Institute for Agrarian Studies (AIAS), and Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD)-have weighed in with sectoral proposals.