News, Events & PR

Month

Events

Venue

13 Nov 2007

Policy Review Dialogue

• Gender Realtions & Land Access  
  [View Details]

  The Dialogue on Land Tenure in Zimbabwe Gender Relations and Land Access is part of a series of dialogues to be held by the AIAS with the objective of providing a platform for interaction among various actors (state, civil society organizations, NGOs and the private sector) to share and exchange views and information on key outstanding issues within land and agrarian policy in Zimbabwe in the advent of the Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP).

   

  Access to and control of land and other natural resources is crucial for the livelihood needs of rural households, especially the poor, but major social, political, and institutional challenges prevent the rural poor form gaining secure tenure rights- and such challenges are more pronounced for women. Where women are concerned the land and agrarian questions remain far from resolved, yet increasing research has shown the crucial role of women’s access to resources for sustainable livelihoods.

  In Zimbabwe, whilst much has been done through legislation to assert women’s civil, political and in recent times land rights, legislation concerning women’s inequality within the household and society at large has not been removed. Hence women still experience discrimination in matters of inheritance, divorce or widowhood, especially with regards to land access and ownership.

   

  The dialogue will seek to
  i) Analyze and debate the gender relations that are emerging on the land in the context of the new tenure policy whereby it is stated that women and men have equal say over redistributed land.
  ii) Discuss the marginalization of women (‘supposed/real’) in terms of redistribution.
  iii) Discuss how current land policy and agrarian policy constrain the livelihood strategies of women and how policy can be revised to be sensitive to the plight of women.

   

  At the end of the process of consultation a concise Policy Document with recommendations on how to improving gender relations and land access will be put together which shall be made available to all stakeholders including government for consideration. Further it is expected that the dialogue will also set a platform for broader but empirical discussion on the outstanding issues relating to gender relations and land access, with the ultimate result being the refinement of existing policy surrounding these issues.

   

  Please confirm your participation with either Eddah Jowah or Mary Thondhlana on the following numbers 708 672/ 795 877 or via email on ejowa@aiastrust.org on or before the 13th of November 2007.

   

   

Cresta Oasis - Harare, Zimbabwe

Oct 2007

Seminar:

• National Land Policy
• Civil Society in Land & Agrarian Reform Processes

Harare, Zimbabwe

Policy Review Dialogue

• Agrarian Reform Strategy  
  [View Details]

  The dialogue seeks to analyze the country's current agrarian system and how it addresses the needs of the new farmers in the new agrarian structure created by Fast Track. Whilst it is widely accepted that Agriculture is the mainstay of the Zimbabwean economy there does not seem to deliberate programming towards establishing a link with various sectors of the economy such as industry, hence a need for greater understanding of how agriculture feeds into the wider Zimbabwean economy.

   

Month

Events

Venue

May 2007

Conference:

• National Question in the Era of Globalisation

Bell Horizonte - Brazil

Regional Workshop

• Land & Gender

Addis Ababa - Ethiopia

Policy Review Dialogues:

• Land Tenure
  [View Details]

  The dialogue seeks to create a platform for systematic discussion of the strengths/weaknesses of the new leasehold policy system. The new policy position has not been adequately discussed outside the state to other critical stakeholders such as financial institutions for purposes of initiating new mechanisms for extending credit facilities.
  
  

June 2007

Seminars:

• Agrarian Labour
• Gender Relations
• Land & Agrarian Reform

July 2007

Policy Review Dialogues:

• Agrarian Labour (Farm Workers)

Harare - Zimbabwe

Training:

• Land Policy Analysis (NGO & Media Practitioners) Part I (1 Week)
  [View Details)

  The course will aim to develop the analytical skills of participants by equipping them with the necessary tools to analyze policy. This entails ensuring that participants are taught on the policy cycle process. The overall objective of the course is to set the broad framework for capacity building for policy analysis (research, advice and mediation on land and agrarian reform policy). More critically the objective is to mobilize interest among NGO actors and media practitioners in rigorous policy analysis and also to establish a platform for networking for participants (individuals/ institutions) to contribute towards the long term goal of enhancing livelihoods through objective policy analysis and advice.
  
  

25th and 26th of July 2007

Policy Review Dialogue on Land Tenure in Zimbabwe
[View Details]

The Dialogue on Land Tenure in Zimbabwe is part of a series of dialogues to be held by the AIAS with the objective of providing a platform for interaction among various actors (state, civil society organizations, NGOs and the private sector) to share and exchange views and information on key outstanding issues within land and agrarian policy in Zimbabwe in the advent of the Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP). A key outcome of the programme has been the restructuring of the county’s land tenure regime. The FTLRP dramatically shifted land rights, tenure and administration and brought to the fore contestations over land ownership rights, and tenure security among former landowners, newly resettled farmers, land seekers, farm workers and other land claimants.

 

The success and transformation of Zimbabwe ’s agricultural sector hinges on the development of an appropriate and coherent land tenure policy, which addresses the issues above. However this requires input and consensus from all stakeholders (Government, CSOs, the private sector, farmers) to engage in in-depth, systematic and objective analysis of current policy models and put forward suggestions of how to improve it. The planned AIAS dialogue aims to discuss the various outstanding issues relating to land tenure and to provide an opportunity for various stakeholders to discuss and highlight issues of concern. Such issues will include:

 

• Clarification of land tenure ambiguities
• Clarification of leasehold tenure
• Efficient land tenure administration
• Investment and financing under leasehold
• Securing land tenure for disadvantaged groups (e.g. women, farm workers)
• Land use planning and land surveying

 

At the end of the process it is expected that stakeholders will be clearer about the provisions of the 99year leases, weaknesses in the lease will be noted and channelled to relevant stakeholders, mechanisms for continuous engagement on the policy subject will be established and that there will be a ‘buy in’ into the leasehold tenure from the private sector (especially the banking sector).

 

The Dialogue will be held on the 25 th and 26 th of July 2007 at The Bronte Hotel, situated at the corner of 4 th Street and Baines Ave. The dialogue will start at 9am. For more information you can contact either Eddah Jowah or Mary Thondhlana on the following numbers +236 4 708 672 or 795 877 and on +263 912 818 339 or via email on ejowa@aiastrust.org on or before the 23 rd of July 2007.

August 2007

Conference:

• Land & Agrarian Question: The State of Land & Agrarian Reforms in Southern Africa

Gaborone - Botswana

Book Launch:

• Land Reform and Civil Society in Contemporary Zimbabwe

Harare - Zimbabwe

Policy Review Dialogues:

• Agrarian Labour (Farm Workers)
  [View Details]

  This dialogue will seek to discuss the different outcomes of the FTLRP as they pertain to farm workers. It will focus on brainstorming on the different aspects affecting farm workers currently and these are: (i) Land and Housing rights of farm workers, (ii) Welfare of farm workers. Furthermore the dialogue will also focus on the reported acute shortage of farm labour on the 'new' farms by analyzing the causes of these shortages and the alternative livelihoods emerging.

  
  

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  Land & Agrarian Labour (Farm Workers)
  [View Details]

  This dialogue will seek to improve the depth and objectivity in the analyses of gender relations and related land issues (such as access and use rights). It will seek to analyze and debate the gender relations that are emerging on the land in the context of the new tenure policy whereby it is stated that women and men have equal say over redistributed land. Furthermore there is need to analyze how current land policy and agrarian policies constrain the livelihood strategies of women and how these can be improved.

   

Harare - Zimbabwe

Training

• Land & Agrarian Policy Analysis (Short Course - 1 Weeks) Part II
  [View Details]

  For NGOs & Media Practitioners

   

  
  
  

Kadoma - Zimbabwe

Seminar:

• Agrarian Reform Strategy

Regional Workshop:

• Land & Agrarian Policy in the SADC Region
  [View Details]

  The Regional workshop will bring together seven country focal organizations from : Botswana, South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe that have been selected to work with their various national networks to highlight key land and agrarian reform issues affecting the SADC region.

Gaborone, Botswana

August 2007

Conference:

• Land Summit : National Land Policy

Harare - Zimbabwe

6 -10 Aug &
3 – 7 Sep 2007

Short Course on Land and Agrarian Policy Analysis
[View Details]