The socio-economic outcomes of the Fast-Track Land Redistribution Program (FTLRP) : with special reference to Kippure-Iram Resettlement Scheme in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe

Abstract

The problem investigated in this study relates to the socio-economic outcomes that the Fast-Track Land Redistribution Programme (FTLRP) produced. The study focused on the voices of the newly resettled farmers because the socio-economic outcomes of the FTLRP have been analyzed at a high level (government, NGOs and international organisations), thus ignoring the voice of the people at the grassroots. For example, scholars like Moyo (2004) asserted that the land question has generated a lot of emotional debate and there is a general consensus that it represents the dimension to the crisis the country is going through. On the other hand according to Mukamuri (2000) land is a very crucial factor in the eradication of insecurity and rural poverty. The study focused on the socio-economic outcomes of the Fast-Track Land Redistribution Programme (FTLRP) in Kippure-lram Resettlement Scheme, Masvingo province, Zimbabwe. The research employed qualitative research methods which were descriptive. The population of the study was constituted by the beneficiaries of the Kippure-lram Resettlement Scheme. Data collection in this study was done through the use of focus group discussions and secondary data was collected from government (Zimbabwean Government, 2003 and 2005), NGOs (FAO, 2003), international organisations (Oxfam International, 2002 and 2003) and literature from various scholars. The population comprised of all the newly resettled farmers of the Kippure-lram Resettlement scheme. Thirty (30) out of forty (40) respondents were interviewed and the researcher made use of non-probability sampling, which was purposive. Ten (10) of the farmers were not interviewed because they were not true representation of the beneficiaries of the FTLRP because they were not active in the programme. iii The researcher divided the participants into five groups. Each group had six participants. Each group of participants was interviewed on three different sessions; each session had its own thematic question. Totally, fifteen sessions were conducted during the focus group discussions. The discussions were carried out at Kippure-Iram Resettlement Scheme from the 10th to 15th of December 2010. Each session of the interviews lasted for two hours. The researcher made use of pseudo names during the interviews, a way of protecting the identity of the participants. Analysis of data in this study was carried out through the use of content analysis. Seventy-six percent (76%) of the participants observed that the FTLRP’s outcomes in Kippure-Iram Resettlement Scheme were positive to a larger extent, mainly because they can now practise various farming projects to earn a living on their new land and the programme has managed to distribute land to its rightful owners. On the other hand, twenty-four per-cent (24%)) of the participants indicated that the results of the FTLRP were negative because after the FTLRP they were left unemployed.