Agriculture & Land

At the World Christian Economic Forum in July, Ben Freeth presented a paper on Zimbabwe – 29 July 2019 … Read More

Zimbabwe needs to import 800 000 tonnes of maize; 5 million people require food aid says UN – 3 July 2019 ...Read More 

Mnangagwa dangles land carrot to war veterans – 2 July 2019 .. Read More

The long road to compensation for Zimbabwe’s farmers, a time line – 9 April 2019 … Read More

Zim land a dead asset and dispossessed commercial farmers need compensation said finance minister – 4 March 2019 ... Read More

Zimbabwe’s land audit is nearing completion as ED grapples with aftermath of disastrous land programme – 17 December 2018 ... Read More

Wheat crisis: A bread and butter issue, Zim is by all accounts broke -17 September 2018 … Read More

Food dependent Zimbabwe sits on 1, 83mln hectares of irrigable land while 2 million people may need donor support – 1 December 2018 ... Read More

15 000 cattle succumb to tick-borne diseases, notably January Disease – 13 November 2018 ... Read More

‘Command Agriculture here to stay’ says Air Marshal Elson Moyo, claiming its success – 27 October 2018 … Read More

Land audit gets underway in Zim as the govt seeks to address agrarian reform ‘injustices’, the State-owned Herald reports – 22 October 2018 ... Read More

Latest land audit is to identify land utilisation patterns and optimal farming activities, writes the State-owned Herald – 22 October 2018 ... Read More

The failure of Zimbabwe’s populist-based land reform has lessons for South Africa, writes author William Gumede – 16 October 2018 … Read More

Locals who were allocated farms during the land grab must pay compensation, not the State, says Shiri  – 4 October, 2018 ... Read More

A former farmer tells the story of the Zimbabwean land seizures, their background and consequences – 28 August 2018 ... Read More

Zimbabwe’s Dr Tshuma warns SA of consequences of expropriation without compensation – 17 July 2018 ... Read more

30,000 tonnes of German wheat received, more to come – 1 July 2018 ... Read More

Freehold title is vital to attract foreign investment, says property rights expert Craig Richardson – 24 May 2018 ... Read More

Property rights are key to economic development”, says renowned expert Prof Craig Richardson – May 2018 ... Read More

Compensation vital for revival of agriculture - 18 May 2018 ...Read More 

Life is tough:  Statistics and the human faces of Zimbabwe’s land chaos by Cathy Buckle – 11 May 2018 ... Read More

ANC in South Africa: Expropriation has nothing to do with land, it’s about losing votes, says Moeletsi Mbeki – 15 May 2018 ... Read More 

“The farmer is the farm” – opinion piece by Flip Buys, Solidarity Movement in South Africa – 30 April 2018.... Read More

Labour conference presentation by economist John Robertson:  The prospects for Foreign Direct Investment – April 2018 ... Read More

Could Zimbabwean coffee once again be on speciality menus? A fascinating insight into the former coffee industry – 1 March 2018 ... Read More

Africa:  benighted continent on the brink by Hannes Wessels, Africa Unauthorised – 13 March 2018 ... Read more

Judgment in Zuma case re SADC Tribunal closure to be handed down on Thursday 1 March – 28 February 2018 ... Read More

Land expropriation: a case of basic human rights by AgriSA – 28 February 2018 ... Read More

Restore property rights on agricultural land and revive the economy, writes Zimbabwean economist John Robertson – 23 February 2018 ... Read More

Hearing of court case against President Zuma re the closure of the regional court, the SADC Tribunal – 6 February 2018 … Read More

‘Mugabe’s fast-track land reform a great mistake’ says board chairman of agricultural authority ARDA – 6 February 2018 … Read More

White farmers urged to apply for land leases and to withdraw court cases – 2 February 2018 ... Read More

Leases will not stand security for bank loans, writes Advocate Fadzayi Mahere – 1 February 2018 ...Read More

Crop failures countrywide, Zim to miss 4,5% economic growth projection – 26 January 2018 ... Read More

Mnangagwa unrepentant on Zim land acquisition  – 16 January 2018 ... Read More

Land compensation vital for economy says Prof Ian Scoones, response from Dr Dale Doré – 9 January 2018 ... Read More 

Parliament to investigate agricultural inputs abuse – 9 January 2018 ... Read More

The Strategic Dismantling of White Farming in Zimbabwe: 2000-2005 by Angus Selby, Oxford ... Read More

Tobacco farmers should lead reforestation programmes in face of uncontrolled deforestation – 23 October 2017 ... Read More

Fertiliser crisis looms amid acute economic challenges – 13 October 2017 ... Read More

Only modernised commercial farms will fill Africa’s plate, economists warn -10 October 2017 ... Read More 

The collapse of former Lipton Tea Plantation in South Africa after “land reform” replicates Zimbabwean failures – 14 August 2017 ... Read More

Zimbabwe imports maize worth $82m despite 'bumper harvest' claim – 8 July 2017 ... Read More

Mugabe’s fresh land grab threats ‘are racist, nonsensical’ says MDC – 7 June 2017 … Read More

Bureaucratic bungling, poor planning to affect wheat hectarage - 1 June 2017 .... Read More

Germany demands compensation for BIPPA-protected farms – 17 May 2017... Read More

Open letter to all dispossessed Zimbabwean commercial farmers from Ben Freeth re compromises by The Compensation Steering Committee (CSC) and the Valuation Consortium  - 9 May 2017 ... Read More

A Zimbabwean Perspective:  The Importance of Taking a Principled Stand” – presented at Afriforum Safety Summit in South Africa – 6 May 2017 ... Read More 

Cows for collateral, how Zim has fallen, write Forbes magazine – 16 April 2017 ... Read More

Zim must pay its debt and the commercial farming sector must be rebuilt in some form – 20 March 2017 ... Read More

In a surprising turn of events, Julius Malema from SA’s EFF party says Mugabe must go – 23 January 2017 ... Read More

Chinese farmers take over former white-owned farms in Zimbabwe to cash in on tobacco – 17 September 2016 ... Read More

Why the Land Compensation Fund cannot be funded by rent for land seized from white commercial farmers, by Ben Freeth – 30 August 2016 ... Read More 

Government announces a US$500 million “command agriculture” scheme  to solve food insecurity – 12 August 2016  ... Read More

Government faces US$30 billion compensation bill for expropriated white-owned farms – 30 June 2016 ... Read More

National Healing and the Land Question” – a presentation by Ben Freeth, executive director of the Mike Campbell Foundation,

for the Heal Zimbabwe Trust – 30 March 2016... Read More

Land reform in South Africa – and comparisons with Zimbabwe by Eddie Cross – 26 May 2016 ... Read More

Update on disputes under the Chinese, Dutch and Swiss investment treaties -  8 March 2016 ... Read More

The political character of land reform in Zimbabwe – 14 December 2015 ... Read More

Agriculture in Zimbabwe:  What is the future? Presentation by Ben Freeth – 20 July 2015.... Read More

Land reform nightmare, stunning admission of failure and the legal chaos – 11 June 2015... Read More

Starvation looms due to poor rainfall, farm takeovers and wrecked irrigation schemes - 27 April 2015 .... Read More

Ben Freeth’s presentation on protecting property rights at the AfriForum land conference in SA – 18 March 2015.... Read More

Mugabe admits land reform blunder in birthday interview - 27 February 2015.... Read More

Grain silos for strategic reserves are crumbling due to years of neglect by the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) – 19 February 2015 ... Read More

Rural poverty on the rise in Zimbabwe - 12 September 2014 ... Read More

South African land reform: cloud cuckoo land or calculus of power?  by Andries du Toit – 11 August 2014 ... Read More

South African farms are also dying as the transfer of agricultural land to black people fails – 1 August 2014... Read More

Sir Richard Branson’s response to South Africa’s EFF party re: “You’re buying stolen land!” – 22 June 2014..... Read More

South Africa’s EFF party’s letter to Sir Richard Branson: “You’re buying stolen land!” – 23 May 2014..... Read More

Beneficiaries of land reform will be expected to pay rent, says the Zanu PF government – 30 June 2014 ... Read More

SA govt’s latest policy proposals around land emulate Zimbabwe’s disastrous policies – 30 June 2014... Read More

Newly appointed judges demand farms under the land reform programme – 25 June 2014.... Read More

Zimbabwe’s marginalization of white Africans is unacceptable… 12 June 2014 ... Read More

Francis farmer murders, escalating violence and land invasions – 23 May 2014 ... Read More

Without a climate of investment security, BIPPAs will not work says the CFU – 16 May 2014 ... Read More

Ben Freeth – response to Dave Joubert’s letter on compensation/restitution for farmers - 26 March 2014... Read More

Invitation from Mills Fitchet (South African land valuers) re compensation/restitution  - 23 March 2014 ... Read More

Letter from Dave Joubert re compensation/restitution for farmers  - 21 March 2014… Read More

Land reform hosts linger on in debris of land take-overs – 7 March 2014..... Read More

Why Africa can’t feed itself – 11 November 2013 .... Read More

World Bank Conference 2013: Securing land rights and improving land use at grass roots -April 2013 ...Read More

International law: principles of compulsory acquisition and compensation by Dr Dale Dore – 29 January 2013 ... Read More

Land in Zimbabwe:  Past mistakes, future prospects - report by the British Africa All Parliamentary Group – December 2009 ... Read More

The Nationalist Narrative & Policy in Zimbabwe... Read More

Land as a ‘racial’ issue and the lost opportunities to resolve the matter... Read More

Land Policy in Zimbabwe: A framework for discussion papers... Read More

Why the land issue continues to define Zimbabwe's past, present and future... Read More

Zimbabwe Land Series: Introduction ... Read More

The Truth About Mugabe’s Land Reform – 31 July 2013…Read More

Claims of land reform ‘success’ negated - 3 June 2013 ... Read More

Land Reform. How Successful? - May 2013  ... Read More

Zim's obligations under international law to acquire land and pay just compensation - 29 January 2013 ... Read More

Land Reform and its Economic Impact - graphs -  October 2012 ... Read More

Land Reform Caused Demise of Masvingo - October 19, 2012  ... Read More

Agribank set to cut branches, lay-off staff - 14 Feb 2010... Read More

The Cost of Zimbabwe's Continuing Farm Invasions -18 May 2009... Read More

Destruction of Agriculture in Pursuit of Power - April 2008 ... Read More

A Tribute to the Farmers of Zimbabwe - March 2008 ... Read More

Background to the Land Crisis - 26 March 2008 ... Read More

Cost of Destabilisation of Agriculture - 15 November 2007 ... Read More

The British Role in Land Reform - 24 October 2007  ... Read More

The Endgame: Ben Freeth - 2002 ... Read More

Power, not land, lies at the heart of Zimbabwe’s farm takeovers, writes journalist Graham Boynton – 10 September 2001 ... Read More

UK offers £36m for Zimbabwe land reform - 6 September 2001 ... Read More

The parallel world that hides the true menace of Mugabe by Graham Poynton – 6 September 2001 ... Read More