Zimbabwe's new land crisis: Large-scale land investments at Chisumbanje

Abstract

Zimbabwe’s investments in agriculture, after a contested Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP) underpinned by often violent land occupations (these were largely contained by the state by 2005), have triggered a debate on the meaning and import of ‘international land grabs’ (Matondi 2015). Internationally, the debates have been increasing, with the drive towards the cultivation of feedstock for the production of renewable fuel being one driving force. The mandatory blending of biofuels in national fuel stocks has been accepted and today 62 countries have introduced mandatory blending, with South Africa introducing a target of 2% blending in October 2014. It is in respect of the emerging trends that we sought to decipher the meaning of ‘land grabs’, ‘international land grabs’ and ‘agricultural investments’ as these mean different things in different contexts.