Opinion / Blogs
MDC-T land management and agrarian revolution
18 Jul 2013 at 11:36hrs | Views
At its inception in 1999, the MDC identified access to land and the enhancement of agricultural productivity as being central to sustainable development and the eradication of poverty.
As such, one of the resolutions of the Working People's Convention of February 1999, which was reaffirmed by the Party's founding manifesto of the same year, outlined a plan to acquire over 8 million hectares of agricultural land for resettlement purposes and to provide security to farmers in the communal areas.
Faced with electoral defeat and in a desperate need to find a political gimmick, Zanu PF embarked on a chaotic fast track land reform programme, which resulted in the dearth of the Zimbabwe agriculture sector.
Agricultural yields plummeted with over 400000 workers in the agricultural sector left jobless and homeless. Zimbabwe, which was the breadbasket of Southern Africa, was reduced to a begging bowl. The once mighty agricultural sector was left severely decimated.
Because of the synergy between commercial agriculture and other sectors such as manufacturing and banking, the collapse of the agricultural sector had serious ripple effects on the Zimbabwean economy. The improvement of livelihoods and the eradication of poverty have remained unattained for the majority of Zimbabweans.
The MDC land management policy thus seeks to address issues of equitable land ownership and security of tenure, the protection of property rights, enhanced productivity, food security and sustainable land use, to correct gender imbalances, establish workers rights and create a framework for greater value addition and efficient marketing services.
To this end, and as enshrined in the new constitution, the MDC believes that the land reform is irreversible but the former farms must be compensated fully.
The MDC land management policy is premised on the principles of equity in access and distribution, efficiency and sustainability in its utilization; accountability in its management; transparency in the conduct of its governance; legitimacy in the eyes of the Zimbabwean public by ensuring that access to land is depoliticized; participation by all Zimbabweans of all classes, gender and ethnic backgrounds and security for all who make their living from the land.
In line with these principles, the MDC government will ensure security of tenure through issuance of title deeds. The current land tenure system has reduced land to dead capital where those who earn a living out of the land do not have security of the same.
There is no security to land through offer letters. Farmers cannot borrow from financial institutions on the basis of an offer letter. Security of tenure will re-establish a land market.
The MDC government will also enforce the one household per piece of land policy to eradicate the current multiple farm ownership with politically connected people having two or three farms in each province.
This will be achieved through the strengthening of a Land Commission to carry out an extensive land audit. To finance this programme, the MDC government will establish a fund that will be financed by land tax under the Land Commission.
It will be the duty of the Land Commission to keep a properly surveyed land register and enforce a land tax. The MDC government will acquire of all vacant, unused and under utilized land and channel it back into the market.
The land reform programme has to a very large extent been racialised. The MDC government will seek to de-racialise the land reform programme and ensure that every Zimbabwean has the right to land.
The MDC government will ensure full compensation for both land and improvements. This compensation however will be balanced to ensure that it does not militate against the economic growth of the country. Resources for this programme will be sought from countries that are inextricably connected to the Zimbabwe land issue.
However, land reform on its own is not enough to extricate Zimbabwe from poverty and hunger. The MDC government will ensure that Zimbabwe undergoes an agrarian revolution.
It is sad that despite the much publicized, albeit a myth, success of the land reform programme, Zimbabwean shops today are laden with imported food that include potatoes, onion and carrots. It is also a sad reality that Zimbabweans across the country are still receiving food handouts from donors.
The MDC agrarian policy is aimed at ensuring food self-sufficiency and food security while maintaining reasonable market prices. Strategies will be adopted to ensure that yield levels in tobacco, maize, other strategic crops, beef and livestock are improved to attain maximum productivity.
This will be enhanced by the implementation of a multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary Food and Nutrition Policy and an associated Food Security and Nutrition Action Plan. This is intended to ensure that all households and people have access to food and nutrition they require.
The MDC government agrarian revolution programme will be founded upon a robust agricultural and agro-industrial investment. As the agricultural sector is intertwined with other sectors, a sound macro-economic environment supported by technological efficiency, tax and tariffs incentives will support investment in agriculture to boost productivity, create jobs and eradicate hunger.
Evidence in the past four years after the consummation of the inclusive government and introduction of sound economic policies such as STERP 1 and 11, and MTP, through the MDC led ministries; agricultural production has been on recovery path.
Under an MDC government, another critical area in the agrarian revolution is the agricultural extension service. The extension service will be strengthened by ensuring the sector has financial and capital infrastructure to enable the same to play its roles to farmers.
It is the view if the MDC government that agriculture must be run on a business model and that agriculture must be a 365-day operation. This will be necessitated by a comprehensive irrigation programme that targets mainly smallholder and communal farmers.
Another critical area that the Zanu PF government has dismally failed is agricultural financing. Access to agricultural finance is necessary to enable farmers with insufficient capital resources of their own to fund viable agricultural activities.
Credit can enable farmers to obtain agricultural inputs, technology and infrastructure necessary to increase production and productivity. Farmers must be assured of access to efficient financial services and responsive financing instruments.
The MDC government will put in place tenure conditions that will enable the use of land and other assets as collateral for borrowings from the financial sector.
The Agribank will be privatised and strengthened to fund farmers in communal and farming areas.
As such, one of the resolutions of the Working People's Convention of February 1999, which was reaffirmed by the Party's founding manifesto of the same year, outlined a plan to acquire over 8 million hectares of agricultural land for resettlement purposes and to provide security to farmers in the communal areas.
Faced with electoral defeat and in a desperate need to find a political gimmick, Zanu PF embarked on a chaotic fast track land reform programme, which resulted in the dearth of the Zimbabwe agriculture sector.
Agricultural yields plummeted with over 400000 workers in the agricultural sector left jobless and homeless. Zimbabwe, which was the breadbasket of Southern Africa, was reduced to a begging bowl. The once mighty agricultural sector was left severely decimated.
Because of the synergy between commercial agriculture and other sectors such as manufacturing and banking, the collapse of the agricultural sector had serious ripple effects on the Zimbabwean economy. The improvement of livelihoods and the eradication of poverty have remained unattained for the majority of Zimbabweans.
The MDC land management policy thus seeks to address issues of equitable land ownership and security of tenure, the protection of property rights, enhanced productivity, food security and sustainable land use, to correct gender imbalances, establish workers rights and create a framework for greater value addition and efficient marketing services.
To this end, and as enshrined in the new constitution, the MDC believes that the land reform is irreversible but the former farms must be compensated fully.
The MDC land management policy is premised on the principles of equity in access and distribution, efficiency and sustainability in its utilization; accountability in its management; transparency in the conduct of its governance; legitimacy in the eyes of the Zimbabwean public by ensuring that access to land is depoliticized; participation by all Zimbabweans of all classes, gender and ethnic backgrounds and security for all who make their living from the land.
In line with these principles, the MDC government will ensure security of tenure through issuance of title deeds. The current land tenure system has reduced land to dead capital where those who earn a living out of the land do not have security of the same.
There is no security to land through offer letters. Farmers cannot borrow from financial institutions on the basis of an offer letter. Security of tenure will re-establish a land market.
The MDC government will also enforce the one household per piece of land policy to eradicate the current multiple farm ownership with politically connected people having two or three farms in each province.
This will be achieved through the strengthening of a Land Commission to carry out an extensive land audit. To finance this programme, the MDC government will establish a fund that will be financed by land tax under the Land Commission.
It will be the duty of the Land Commission to keep a properly surveyed land register and enforce a land tax. The MDC government will acquire of all vacant, unused and under utilized land and channel it back into the market.
The land reform programme has to a very large extent been racialised. The MDC government will seek to de-racialise the land reform programme and ensure that every Zimbabwean has the right to land.
The MDC government will ensure full compensation for both land and improvements. This compensation however will be balanced to ensure that it does not militate against the economic growth of the country. Resources for this programme will be sought from countries that are inextricably connected to the Zimbabwe land issue.
However, land reform on its own is not enough to extricate Zimbabwe from poverty and hunger. The MDC government will ensure that Zimbabwe undergoes an agrarian revolution.
It is sad that despite the much publicized, albeit a myth, success of the land reform programme, Zimbabwean shops today are laden with imported food that include potatoes, onion and carrots. It is also a sad reality that Zimbabweans across the country are still receiving food handouts from donors.
The MDC agrarian policy is aimed at ensuring food self-sufficiency and food security while maintaining reasonable market prices. Strategies will be adopted to ensure that yield levels in tobacco, maize, other strategic crops, beef and livestock are improved to attain maximum productivity.
This will be enhanced by the implementation of a multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary Food and Nutrition Policy and an associated Food Security and Nutrition Action Plan. This is intended to ensure that all households and people have access to food and nutrition they require.
The MDC government agrarian revolution programme will be founded upon a robust agricultural and agro-industrial investment. As the agricultural sector is intertwined with other sectors, a sound macro-economic environment supported by technological efficiency, tax and tariffs incentives will support investment in agriculture to boost productivity, create jobs and eradicate hunger.
Evidence in the past four years after the consummation of the inclusive government and introduction of sound economic policies such as STERP 1 and 11, and MTP, through the MDC led ministries; agricultural production has been on recovery path.
Under an MDC government, another critical area in the agrarian revolution is the agricultural extension service. The extension service will be strengthened by ensuring the sector has financial and capital infrastructure to enable the same to play its roles to farmers.
It is the view if the MDC government that agriculture must be run on a business model and that agriculture must be a 365-day operation. This will be necessitated by a comprehensive irrigation programme that targets mainly smallholder and communal farmers.
Another critical area that the Zanu PF government has dismally failed is agricultural financing. Access to agricultural finance is necessary to enable farmers with insufficient capital resources of their own to fund viable agricultural activities.
Credit can enable farmers to obtain agricultural inputs, technology and infrastructure necessary to increase production and productivity. Farmers must be assured of access to efficient financial services and responsive financing instruments.
The MDC government will put in place tenure conditions that will enable the use of land and other assets as collateral for borrowings from the financial sector.
The Agribank will be privatised and strengthened to fund farmers in communal and farming areas.
Source - MDC-T
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