New Africa Land Reform Book by Kumarian Press Set to Release Next Month

PRLog (Press Release) - Oct. 5, 2012 - "This excellent book describes how agricultural production is now returning to the level of the 1990s. If tens of thousands of poor Zimbabwean farmers are now able to make a livelihood from the land, some significant good will have emerged from a terrible period of Zimbabwe’s history." - Sir Malcolm Rifkind, MP, Former UK Defence Secretary and Foreign Secretary

Sterling, VA: The news from Zimbabwe is usually bleak. Perhaps no issue has aroused such ire and global attention as the land reforms in 2000, when 170,000 black farmers occupied 4,000 white farms.

Zimbabwe Takes Back its Land offers a more positive and nuanced assessment of land reform, countering the dominant media narratives of oppression and economic stagnation in Zimbabwe. While not minimizing the depredations of the Mugabe government, and accepting that many of Mugabe’s supporters benefited from the ruler’s largesse, Hanlon, Manjengwa, and Smart show how “ordinary” Zimbabweans have taken charge of their destinies in creative and unacknowledged ways with the farms obtained through land reform programs. This is an inspiring story of how through collective action the poor can improve their life chances in even seemingly hostile circumstances. It is also a story for the international community, as the authors point out that US- and European Union-imposed sanctions are not just against a corrupt and dictatorial elite, but also against 170,000 ordinary farmers who now use more of the land than the white farmers they displaced.

Written with both journalistic passion and scholarly rigor, Zimbabwe Takes Back its Land is one of those rare books that could actually make a difference. It will be a welcome addition to the bookshelves of students, academics, policymakers and development practitioners.

About the authors

Joseph Hanlon is visiting senior fellow at the London School of Economics and honorary research fellow at the University of Manchester. He is a journalist and author or editor of more than a dozen books including Kumarian Press title Just Give Money to the Poor.

Jeannette Manjengwa is Deputy Director at the Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Zimbabwe, Harare.

Teresa Smart is Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Education, University of London.

About the Book

The paperback is now available to pre-order on the Kumarian Press website, retailing at $26.95.

Contact Marketing Associate Jennifer Kern at (703) 996-1022 or via email at Jennifer@styluspub.com if you are interested in interviewing the contributors or would like to receive a review copy of the book.