@article{Binswanger-Mkhize:197014,
      recid = {197014},
      author = {Binswanger-Mkhize, Hans P.},
      title = {From failure to success in South African land reform},
      journal = {African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics},
      address = {2014-12},
      number = {311-2016-5618},
      pages = {17},
      year = {2014},
      abstract = {This article assesses the achievement of land reform in  South Africa with respect to the number of
beneficiaries  relative to rural employment and the demand for land and  increases in livelihoods and
agricultural output. Even  though there are islands of success, for the past twenty  years the Land
Reform Programme has not satisfied these  criteria. Implementation has been poor and farm
workers’  and farm dwellers’ rights have not been protected. This  failure is primarily attributed to
the use of group or  co-operative farming; inadequate participation by the  beneficiaries; the
absence, late arrival or poor quality of  post-settlement support; and capacity problems in the  civil
service. Success requires radical change in design  and implementation. A reformed programme
should be based  primarily on family farmer models, from the provision of  housing and gardens for
supplementary food production to  small commercially oriented family farms, and on  intensive
participation of the beneficiaries or their  groups in the identification, planning, implementation  and
financial management of their projects. This will allow  civil servants to focus on the identification
of land to be  acquired, the approval of land acquisition and investment  plans, and the supervision
of financial management and  implementation of the projects, thereby relieving their  capacity
constraints. Before scaling up these approaches  they should be tested in pilots on a significant
scale,  sponsored by any group with the required commitment and  capabilities. Pilots should be
evaluated independently,  based on the number of livelihoods created, household food  security and
agricultural production.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/197014},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.197014},
}