While the global commentariat debate whether AI will end humanity, the companies are selling themselves as saviours of the world through their foundations. OpenAI Foundation, for example, recently announced a large grant to support better weather prediction for farmers in … Continue reading → …
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ZimbabweLand
“Zimbabwe is growing without transforming” says the World Bank, but what transformations for whom?
The new Zimbabwe Growth and Jobs Report from the World Bank argues for a major structural transformation of the economy, taking advantage of the recent period of relative macroeconomic stability and new prospects for debt and arrears clearance. However, the … Continue reading → …
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Twenty-five years after land reform in Zimbabwe: a short documentary on lessons learned
What have we learned from our study, 25 years after land reform in Zimbabwe? Drawing on the research that we have been doing since the early 2000s, we wanted to highlight some of the key findings. Alport Ndebele and team … Continue reading → …
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Zimbabweland round-up: top posts so far this year
Usually around the middle of the year, Zimbabweland offers a recap of the year so far. I am a bit late this year, but I thought it might be useful for those who want to catch up. Below is the … Continue reading → …
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Pastoralists gather in Mongolia for the UN Desertification conference
. Today, COP17 of the UNCCD (UN Convention to Combat Desertification) kicks off in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Top of the agenda is how to manage rangelands that support millions of pastoralists worldwide in sustainable ways. 2026 is the International Year of … Continue reading → …
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Savory tales: controversies from the Zimbabwean bush
Allan Savory’s memoir has recently been published – UnSavory: African Stories of Wildlife, War, and the Birth of Holistic Management. It’s a fascinating read. Full of Rhodesian derring-do but some important reflections on the value of field ecology and the … Continue reading → …
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Zimbabweans flee xenophobic violence in South Africa. What next?
The recent xenophobic violence in South Africa has caused a mass exodus of migrants from the country, including to Zimbabwe. The protests organised by March and March and Operation Dudula, two outfits pushing an anti-immigrant line, have resulted in fear … Continue reading → …
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Reflections by land reform farmers in Zimbabwe: a series of short video interviews
Five of the participants of the exchange visit tour, which was covered in the film in the last blog, offered their reflections on land reform after 25 years, highlighting in particular the difference between now and when they lived in … Continue reading → …
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Learning lessons about Zimbabwe’s land reform: a short film on the farmer exchange visits
In May 2025, we invited participants from our research to visit each others’ sites. Four people – two men and two women – from each our four sites – Mvurwi, Matobo, Gutu and Masvingo – were chosen by the communities. … Continue reading → …
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China, Brazil and African agriculture: what has changed?
A decade ago, a group of us published a Special Issue of the journal World Development discussing the results of collaborative research undertaken through the ESRC-funded ‘China and Brazil in African Agriculture’ project. The project looked at the imprint of … Continue reading → …
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