The Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) in collaboration with the 12th Encounters South African International Documentary Festival 2010 is proud to present the following event:

Fast track land reform led to the restructuring of agrarian relations in Zimbabwe. The presentation explores the emerging forms of collective action on selected A1 farms in Goromonzi and Zvimba.

The dominant view of land reform in Zimbabwe is that farm invasions from 2000/01 were nothing but a corrupt land grab by ZANU-PF and its cronies. This is said to have initiated a calamitous decline in agriculture from which it has never recovered. The story is that Zimbabwe moved from being the ‘breadbasket’ of the region to being a ‘basket case’, dependent on humanitarian aid to feed its people. The media endlessly reproduces the image that commercial farming has completely collapsed, conjuring up images of empty farms and a ravaged landscape.