19 research outputs found

    THE COMPLEX DYNAMICS OF LAND IN MIGRANT LABOUR SOCIETIES: WHO NEEDS LAND FOR AGRICULTURE?

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    The agricultural modernisation narrative has been a central assumption of rural development since the mid-twentieth century, and more recently, the land reforms currently underway in Southern Africa. The narrative emphasises the viable use of land, defined in this case through agricultural productivity and market oriented production. The main contention of this paper is that such a focus undermines the rural socio-economic structure inherent in certain rural societies, which emerge through negotiations and compromises as societies change. It draws on data from studies in Lesotho and rural Zimbabwe that shows that rural households do not only hold land for agricultural purposes, but would hold onto land for security beyond mere agriculture production. It particularly emphasises the complex relationship between households and land, complex land needs and landholding patterns. As way of conclusion, it cautions against enforcing a peasant path on rural society through agriculture-based interventions

    "Two steps forward, one step back”: Zimbabwean migration and South Africa’s regularising programme (the ZDP)

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    South Africa’s announcement and implementation of a legalising amnesty under the Zimbabwe Documentation Project (ZDP) in 2010 was lauded as a step away from the laissez-faire approach to Zimbabwean immigration. The amnesty, granting migrants stay, work, study and business operation rights in the country on 4-year permits, was clouded by uncertainties and exclusions and implementation hassles. This article explores this legalising amnesty in relation to trends in Zimbabwean immigration over the years, noting in particular the complexity and fluidity in migration patterns. The article highlights these complexities and how they expose the limitations of any ad hoc and short-term approach to managing complex immigration flows. It argues that such an approach fails to recognise differences in migration trends over time and space, sources of migration and migrant’s strategies, and, more importantly, that these factors result in different migrants with differing needs. As way of conclusion, the article suggests that any progressive immigration strategy on Zimbabwean immigration should not only build on the BTemporary Immigration Exemption Status for Zimbabweans^ of 2009 and embrace ideals of diversity, inclusivity and openness but also draw upon existing efforts at regional cooperation and integration.http://link.springer.com/journal/121342018-05-30hb2016Anthropology and Archaeolog

    Defenders of the woods? Women and the complex dynamics of a worker-peasantry in western Zimbabwe

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    One winter morning in 2006, conflict ensued between firewood vendors (selling wood to passing motorists and also supplying bulk quantities to cities), on the one hand, and a group of predominantly women (and others sympathetic to their grievances), from villages on the southern fringes of the former Shangani Reserves in western Zimbabwe, on the other hand. The latter group confiscated firewood displayed for sale and stockpiles waiting for transportation. Any attempt to explain these acts is often marred by the appeal of ecofeminist discourses on women and the environment and the neo-Malthusian environment, population and conflict thesis. This article seeks to provide an alternative explanation by focusing, rather, on the complex dynamics of a worker-peasantry and the circumstances of women in migrant labour societies. An ethnographic research on villages that participated in the demonstration revealed how male labour migrancy created a social arena where women assumed key roles at both the household and society levels on behalf of the absent men. It highlighted how the women’s circumstances intersected with the particular socio-cultural and natural environment of a migrant labour reserve, resulting in responsibilities and agency through which certain practices that threatened societal interests were challenged.http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rssr202018-12-22hj2017Anthropology and Archaeolog

    ‘Men on transit’ and the rural ‘farmer housewives’ : women in decision-making roles in migrant-labour societies in north-western Zimbabwe

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    Studies on migrant-labour systems have focused on the negatives, particularly on women left behind as guardians of men’s interests, but with no real control. My extended research on former migrant-labour societies in north-western Zimbabwe has challenged this ‘doomsday’ narrative. It did not only reveal the feminisation of household and societal decisions, but also how the migration of men has liberated women and allowed them to play crucial roles within the household and society systems. My study thus illuminates differences between rural societies and cautions against the risks of over-generalisation when looking at the relationship between women and migration. It stresses the importance of migration on development, and the empowerment potential on women who take up prominent positions in the household and in society decision-making structures.http://jas.sagepub.comhj2018Anthropology and Archaeolog

    A Qualitative Inquiry into the Socio-Economic Implications of Land Grabs Among the Nuer People in the Gambella Region of Ethiopia

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    The paper analyses the socio-economic implications of land grabbing among the Nuer people in the Gambella region of Ethiopia. To achieve its goals, the study is underpinned by two interrelated questions. The first question is: what are the socio-economic implications of land grabs in the Gambella Region of Ethiopia? The second question reads: what are the contestations and perceptions of the Nuer peoples in terms of gains and losses from the land grabs? The study was carried out among a Nilo-Saharan group known as the Nuer which traces its roots from Sudan within the qualitative research methodology. Findings from the study shows that land grabbing, which comes through large scale land takeovers in the Gambella region of Ethiopia, contradicts a state-remaking project under a dispossessive political economy. It was noted that the land grabs destruct the Nuer people’s identity, strip them of their dignity, disturb their ancestral philosophies, and negatively affect their livelihoods

    Drivers of scale and sustainability of food safety interventions in informal markets : lessons from the Tanzanian dairy sector

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    DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors upon request, without undue reservation.Food safety is critical but poorly addressed in African countries. A food safety training and certification intervention piloted in Kenya, India, Tanzania, and Nigeria was scaled and sustained in India but not the African countries. There is limited knowledge about how contextual factors facilitated or limited the scale and sustainability of the intervention in African countries. This research analysed the reach and contextual drivers of scale and sustainability of the intervention in Tanzania’s informal dairy sector four years post-implementation to draw lessons around the scale and sustainability of such interventions in African contexts. We utilized a convergence mixed method study design. We compiled data using document review, surveys with dairy traders, and key informant interviews with key dairy stakeholders. The intervention reach was limited. Critical incentives for traders and intervention implementers to engage with the intervention were lacking due to the absence of government commitment to support the intervention through policy. The traders and intervention implementers also lacked adequate capacities, compromising intervention delivery. For the intervention to achieve scale and sustainability in Tanzania and similar contexts, governments must be committed to food safety and provide enabling policy environments. The interventions must also consider the capacities of the beneficiaries and implementers.The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and aid from the government.https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainabilityam2024Anthropology and ArchaeologySDG-02:Zero Hunge

    Living on the periphery and challenges of mobility : a tale of transport-induced social exclusion in Southlea Park, Harare, Zimbabwe

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    This article explores how geographical location contributes to the social exclusion of communities on the fringes of the city. It uses a case study of Southlea Park, a low-income settlement on the southern periphery of Harare in Zimbabwe, to highlight the conditions contributing to lack of adequate transport, and thus, creating barriers to mobility. It draws data from a 6-month ethnographic study to show how lack of adequate transport and road infrastructure and the high costs of commuting have contributed to the social exclusion of residents, whose access to opportunities outside the community has been severely constrained. Based on these results, it argues that geographical location is a major factor contributing to transport disadvantages of communities on the periphery of Harare, and indeed, other cities in Zimbabwe, and thus, perpetuates their exclusion from the broader economy. It concludes by alluding to the policy implications of the study.https://link-springer-com.uplib.idm.oclc.org/journal/12132hj2023Anthropology and Archaeolog

    A qualitative inquiry into the socio-economic implications of land grabs among the Nuer people in the Gambella region of Ethiopia

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    The paper analyses the socio-economic implications of land grabbing among the Nuer people in the Gambella region of Ethiopia. To achieve its goals, the study is underpinned by two interrelated questions. The first question is: what are the socio-economic implications of land grabs in the Gambella Region of Ethiopia? The second question reads: what are the contestations and perceptions of the Nuer peoples in terms of gains and losses from the land grabs? The study was carried out among a Nilo-Saharan group known as the Nuer which traces its roots from Sudan within the qualitative research methodology. Findings from the study shows that land grabbing, which comes through large scale land takeovers in the Gambella region of Ethiopia, contradicts a state-remaking project under a dispossessive political economy. It was noted that the land grabs destruct the Nuer people’s identity, strip them of their dignity, disturb their ancestral philosophies, and negatively affect their livelihoods.http://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqrhj2023Anthropology and ArchaeologyGordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS

    Youth, agriculture and land reform in Zimbabwe : experiences from a communal area and resettlement scheme in semi-arid Matabeleland, Zimbabwe

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    Three decades of land reform in Zimbabwe ended in an ambiguous victory for youth. Focus on the cumulative outcome, in terms of scale and scope, led to conclusions that the exercise was a success, which obscured the resultant forms of exclusion. This article attempts to sketch an analytical context in which the dynamics of Zimbabwe’s land reform may be understood. It focuses at the broader policy and societal levels, and investigates the socio-political dynamics, and their combined effects on landing the economy for youth. It highlights the challenges associated with poverty reduction through land and agriculture for a semi-proletarian youth, and suggests that a policy of agricultural modernisation is unlikely to succeed in changing the economic circumstances of young people.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cast202019-11-03hj2018Anthropology and Archaeolog

    The politics of hunger: Resettled households and the future of commercial agriculture

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    ABSTRACT Zimbabwe has experienced perennial harvest deficits since the turn of the new millennium. More than half the population survives on humanitarian assistance, yet what was once the country's agricultural empire lies underutilized and reduced to an extension of the subsistence sector. Using an extended case study of three resettled farms in the Mguza District, this study argues that agricultural failure was inherent in the process which came to be known as 'jambanja'. 'Jambanja' gave birth to landholders with a divergence of motives, backgrounds, experiences, and resources. It is this diversity that was mirrored by farming practices in resettlement farms. In a new farming environment, away from kin and social contacts, they were abandoned by the state, without any form of post-settlement support. With minimum state intervention, these settlers fell back on the comfort of a farming system they knew best. Employment of such a system had long term implications on sustained food production
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