Paper short abstract:

The paper engages with Zimbabwe’s post land reform context to ascertain discernible agricultural commercialisation trajectories. It centrally argues that emergent agricultural commercialisation pathways have implicated on production, accumulation, social reproduction and human welfare.

Paper long abstract:

Land reform and agrarian restructuring which has been undertaken in Zimbabwe in the past two decades has reignited scholarly engagement on the utility of the agrarian sector in tackling underdevelopment, poverty, food insecurity and unemployment. In a context where land reform remains an overlooked vector of social policy and African agrarian futures, this paper critically engages with Zimbabwe’s post land reform context, characterised by the emergence of small to medium scale farmers who have in recent years embarked on agricultural commercialisation pathways. This trajectory is partly attributable to the country’s recent political transition where emphasis is placed on neo-liberal agricultural and macro-economic policy prescripts, crystallised around the idea of agricultural commercialisation as key in enhancing agricultural production, poverty reduction and ultimately structural transformation. Lacunae however exists on the availability of empirical evidence which critically engages with the nexus between land reform (as a social policy instrument) and agricultural commercialisation. The paper utilises the transformative social policy framework to investigate agricultural commercialisation pathways in Zimbabwe’s resettlement areas and how these impact on production activities; social and capital accumulation; social reproduction and welfare. It shows that the country’s agrarian context presents complex and dynamic processes which need to be understood by looking at the relationship between the social dimensions of land reform and agricultural commercialisation. These are presented as key components in reducing poverty; enhancing human capabilities and livelihoods, and setting the agenda for reimagining Africa's agrarian futures and building sustainable agro-food systems.