Setting up the Overall Framework

Land redistribution policy formulation hinges upon defining a clear strategy and effective goals and procedures to guide the acquisition of land to be redistributed, determining who gets the land, enabling beneficiaries to retain secure land rights (tenure) and providing appropriate support for beneficiaries to resettle and commence productive use of land. Policies of post-settlement support to beneficiaries in the form of infrastructure, technical and social services are not unique to land redistribution policy as these services are commonly provided in communal areas. The importance of such support lies in establishing settlers on virgin or un-serviced lands and the sharing of resources with other farmers. In order to guide the discussion on establishing an “overall framework ” for land reform, l have posited, as a heuristic devise, a proto-type outline of a land reform policy framework based on a hybrid of the various policy experiences for/in key countries (see Box 1). The paper does not provide a thorough comparison of the countries because of various constraints, rather 1 This paper has been prepared for the workshop “Land Redistribution in Africa: Towards a common vision. ” The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of th