land

The Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) says President Jacob Zuma’s latest plan to address stagnating land reform is a positive move, but clarification of the details, the input of all stakeholders and government support for black farmers is crucial to its success.

PLAAS senior researcher, Ruth Hall, says that while Zuma is conveying the right message, ‘a severe and detailed debate’ is necessary to flesh out the finer details.

A Zimbabwean NGO is working with villagers to increase farm production in a bid to improve living conditions for the subsistence farmers who mostly rely on agriculture for sustenance.

Environment Africa programmes director, Innocent Hongere, says the group that is working in conjunction with other NGOs such as Practical Action is also looking to help link farmers to markets where their products are in demand.

The Tanzania Forest Conservation Group has warned CSOs implementing the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) pilot projects have asked the government to engage the villagers before allocating land to investors.

The group’s executive director, Charles Meshack, points out that this will help the villagers to have ownership over the carbon benefits derived from reduced deforestation on their land.