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There is widespread agreement on the need for land reform in Zimbabwe as a means ofreducing poverty. This paper assesses the potential consequences of a land-reformscheme that draws on proposals from Zimbabwe’s government in 1998 and 1999. Weanalyze the impact of the reform on resettled farm households and as a developmentproject for which we conduct cost-benefit analysis. The analysis, which considers costsand benefits during a 15-year period, relies on a set of models of family farms that aretypical of those that would benefit from land redistribution. The cost-benefit analysis ismore comprehensive, also considering the different costs and benefits that affect thegovernment. The results of our analysis indicate that a government-supported landreform could be economically viable under what we consider as realistic assumptionsregarding the performance of the beneficiaries and the costs that will be faced by thegovernment and other stakeholders. Land reform can generate sustainable livelihoods forthe beneficiaries. If viewed as a project, the NPV of the reform is positive for a discountrate that is as high as 20%. The project can also increase employment in the agriculturalsector. The analysis takes a long-run perspective, covering a 15-year period. During thefirst resettlement years, some disruption of agricultural production should be expected.These results are preliminary and based on a partial equilibrium perspective. They aredriven by the assumption that the land reform is carried out in a manner that allowsfarmers on the resettled lands to achieve their productive potential. Such an outcomedepends critically on the assumption that the farmers are able to operate in an enablingenvironment, including critical government support, especially during years 1-5.
