LAND REFORM AND FOOD SECURITY IN SOUTHERN AFRICA: A GENDER PERSPECTIVE

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LAND REFORM AND FOOD SECURITY IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
A GENDER PERSPECTIVE

• BY
• ABBY TAKA MGUGU
• WOMENS LAND AND WATER RIGHTS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
• 13 LANGHAM UNIVERISTY OF ZIMBABWE
• MT.PLEASANT
• HARARE ZIMBABWE

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INTRODUCTION

• CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LAND QUESTION IN SOUTHERN
  AFRICA
• THE HISTORY OF THE COLONIAL POWER SHAPED THE LAND
  QUESTION IN THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN COUNTRIES WITH
  MARKED DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE PORTUGUESE AND THE
  BRITISH
• IN THE BRITISH COLONIES LAND QUESTION SHAPED BY
• - IMBALANCES IN THE PATTERNS OF OWNERSHIP IN
  FORMER SETTLER COLONIAL STATES OF NAMIBIA, SOUTH
  AFRICA AND ZIMBABWE
• TENURE RIGHTS AND LAND USE WERE THE FEATURES IN
  THE FORMER PROTECTORATES OF BOTSWANA, MALAWI AND
  ZAMBIA

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INTRODUCTION CONTD

• THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT AS DETERMINED BY THE COLD
  WAR ALSO HAD AN IMPACT ON THE LAND QUESTION IN
  THE REGION.
• RESULTING IN COUNTRIES LIKE ANGOLA TANZANIA AND
  MOZAMBIQUE OPTING FOR A SOCIALIST MODEL
• THE ABOVE FACTORS PROVIDE A FOCUS ON THE LAND
  REFORM PROGRAMMES IN THE REGION

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LAND QUESTION PATTERNS IN THE SADC REGIONLand
Reform milestones

• Former Portuguese colonies
• ANGOLA
• AT INDEPENDENCE PRIVATE PROPERTY ABOLISHED
• STATE FARMS AND COOPERATIVES FORMED
• STATE FARMS ABOLISHED IN 1985 INDIVIDIAL
  ALLOCATION PUT IN PLACE
• INDIVIDUAL LAND RIGHTS EMERGING
• NO POLICY POSITION DUE TO THE PROTRACTED CIVIL
  WAR

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PORTUGUESE COLONIES

• Mozambique
• 1975 ALL LAND NATIONALISED WITH LIMITED PRIVATE
  OWNERSHIP LARGE SMALL HOLDER COOPERATIVE
  ESTABLISHED VILLAGISATION SCHEMES AND LARGE
  STATE FARMS
• 1983 STATE OWNED COMPANIES EMERGED
• 1997 LAND LAW PASSED AND UPHOLDS NATIONALISATION
  OF THE LAND
• LAW RECOGNISES THE RIGHT TO LAND THROUGH
  OCCUPATION
• GUARANTEES COMPANIES AND COMMUNITIES TITLE FOR
  USE AND IMPROVEMENT ON LAND FOREIGN INVESTORS
  GRANTED 50 YEAR LEASES RENEWABLE FOR ANOTHER 50
  YEARS

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SETTLER COLONIES SOUTH AFRICA, NAMIBIA AND
ZIMBABWE

• CHARACTERISED BY EXTREME INEQUALITIES IN THE
  DISTRIBUTION OF LAND BETWEEN WHITES BLACKS
• SOUTH AFRICA (87) WHITES AND BLACKS (13)
• NAMIBIA 45 AND 74 POTENTIAL ARABLE LAND
  OWNED BY 2 OF THE POPULATION MAINLY WHITE
• ZIMBABWE 45 OF LAND OWNED BY 1 OF POPN
• AT INDEPENDENCE GOVTS EMBARKED ON MARKET DRIVEN
  LAND REFORM
• SOUTH AFRICA ADOPTED A DEMAND DRIVEN AND RIGHTS
  BASED APPROACH TO TENURE REFORMS
• ZIM PROVIDED PEMITS THAT DEFINED TENURE RIGHTS
  TO LAND AND SYSTEM IS INSECURE
• IN 2000 ZIM INITIATED AND SUPPORTED LAND
  OCCUPATIONS

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GENDER DIMENSIONS IN THE LAND REFORMS IN THE
REGION

• REGION IS PATRIARCHAL LAND IS ALLOCATED TO MALE
  MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY
• WOMENS RIGHTS ERODED DURING COLONISATION AND
  CONCEPT UPHELD IN THE POST INDEPENDENT STATE
• CONCEPT IGNORES INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS
  INTRUMENTS THAT THE GOVTS ARE PARTY TO
• WOMENS SECONDARY RIGHTS TO LAND AND OTHER
  PRODUCTIVE RESOURCES DETRIMENTAL TO THE REGIONS
  PROGRAMME OF INTEGRATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

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OVERVIEW OF FOOD SECURITY IN AFRICA

• FOOD INSECURITY HAS BEEN TOPICAL IN THE SSA
  DISCOURSE FOR THE PAST THREE DECADES SHOWING
  THAT
• 620 MILLION PEOPLE ARE POOR AND OF THIS 80 LIVE
  BELOW USD2 PER DAY AND 50 LIVE BELOW USD1 PER
  DAY
• 97 OF THE FOOD INSECURE ARE IN SSA
• OUT OF THE 97 WHO ARE FOOD INSECURE 34 ARE
  CLASSIFIED AS MALNOURISHED
• 70 OF THE POPN LIVE IN RURAL AREAS WHILE
  URBANISATION IS LOW AT AN ESTIMATE OF 30
• RURAL POPULATION DEPEND ON SUBSISTENCE
  AGRICULTURE FOR THEIR LIVELIHOODS

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PRODUCTION LEVELS IN SSA

• PRODUCTION LEVELS IN SSA ARE LOW COMPARED TO
  OTHER REGIONS
• 2001 CEREAL YIELDS
• AFRICA
  1230Kg/.Ha
• ASIA
  3090Kg/Ha
• LATIN AMERICA
  3040Kg/Ha
• EU
  5470Kg/Ha
• REASONS FOR LOW PRODUCTIVITY
• EXTENSIVE CROP PRODUCTION RATHER THAN INTENSIVE
  FARMING
• OVER USE OF SOILS AND SOIL EROSION
• DEPENDENCY ON INORGANIC CHEMICALS WHICH FARMERS
  CAN NO LONGER AFFORD
• EXTREME CLIMATIC VARIABILITY WITH ALTERNATING
  DROUGHTS AND FLOODS

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OVERVIEW OF FOOD SECURITY IN SADC

• NEGATIVE PER CAPITA FOOD PRODUCTION GROWTH
  BETWEEN 1980 AND 1995 OF 1.0 AGAINST A
  POPULATION GROWTH OF 3.0 PER ANNUM
• THE STATUS OF FOOD INSECURITY AS EVIDENCED BY THE
  INCREASED NUMBER OF MALNOURISHED ( 38 BETWEEN
  1990- 92 AND 42 BETWEEN 1997 99)
• FURTHER EVIDENCED BY THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN NEED
  OF FOOD AID WHICH WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 14 MILLION
  BY 2002
• ZIMBABWE 49 MALAWI 29 LESOTHO 30 ZAMBIA
  26 SWAZILAND 49 MOZAMBIQUE 3 (ECA 2003)
• 2003/4 SEASON SHOWED NO IMPROVEMENT IN THE FOOD
  SITUATION IN THE REGION WITH TOTAL AID
  REQUIREMENT STANDING AT 2.9 MILLION METRIC
  TONNES

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OVERVIEW OF FOOD SECURITY INSADC CONTD

• Lesotho 600 000 Malawi 400 000 Mozambique 659
  000 Namibia 640 000 ( A Third Of The Total
  Nations Population) Swaziland 217 000 Zimbabwe
  5 Million
• 2005/2006 STATUS
• 1 Increase In Maize Harvest 13 above the past
  five-year average the surplus in located in
  South Africa
• INCREASES REALISED IN Angola (38) Lesotho (40)
  South Africa 27 Swaziland (6) Tanzania (2)
• Decreases experienced in Botswana (69) Malawi
  (29)
• Zambia (29) Zim (75)

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Overview of food security contdpple in need of
food aid 2005/2006

• Country in need Est. Cereal needs mt tonnes
• of food aid
• Lesotho 541 000 20 370
• Malawi 4 224 400 269 600
• Moz 587 000 70 000
• Swaziland 227 000 27 000
• Zambia 1 232 661 118000
• Zimbabwe 2 900 000 225 000
• Total 9 712 061 730 305
• (Zim Figures require further verification)
• (Source SADC FANR 2005)

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REASONS FOR FOOD INSECURITY IN THE REGION

• GENERAL REASONS
• Climatic variability - droughts and floods
• Droughts 1981- 82 1991 92 2001 2002
• Floods
• Cyclone Eline
• Perennial floods of Western Zambia Eastern
  Angola and Zambezi valley in Zimbabwe
• HIV and AIDS
• Overall policy framework at national levels

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Reasons for food deficit in selected countries

• Botswana Poor rains and reduced planting led to
  a 44 decrease in 2005 harvest
• Lesotho increase of 47 realising 119 000 tonnes
  from 81 600 tonnes
• Zambia maize prodn declined by 29 to 866 000
  tonnes from 1,2 million in 2004 due to poor rains
• Zimbabwe production dropped by 75 due to poor
  rains and the Fast Track Land Reform Programme.
  (NB Figures for Zim not very clear)

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Trade and Food Security

• The SADC Trade Protocol 1996 governs trade in
  the region with the following objectives
• - remove tariff and non-tariff barriers
  in the region
• - achieve free trade area within 8 years
• - Tanzania does not allow exportation of
  maize without a licenses
• - Malawi requires import licenses for
  meat poultry and sugar export licenses
• for maize, maize meal and tea
• - Zambia imposes temp import and export
  bans for some agric commodities
• esp. maize
• - Zimbabwe The GMB has the monopoly of
  exporting and importing maize
• and rice
• The skewed trading patterns btwn North and South
  also account for contd food insecurity in the
  region

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Conclusions

• Lack of a common position on land reform will
  continue to plague the region
• Uneven access to factors of production
• Non-implementation of the land desk at SADC
  secretariat
• Mismanagement and poor governance
• Corruption the case of Malawi
• Economic problems and inflation ( case of
  Zimbabwe)
• SADC fails to meet the MDGS esp. goal 1 and 3