Ian Scoones

Ian Scoones

Follow Ian Scoones on:

Why livestock can be good for the environment

In places like Zimbabwe livestock production is integral to mixed farming systems and in the drier areas.
By Ian Scoones Jan. 24, 2023

How some tractors, dead lions met in Harare: A new geopolitics in Africa?

In exchange, Zimbabwe received US$66m worth of agricultural equipment for the agricultural mechanisation programme, notably tractors made at the famous former Soviet plant in Belarus.
By Ian Scoones Feb. 12, 2023

Feature: Phases of Zim’s land reform: A shifting political economy

The invasion and establishment phase emerged of course in part as a consequence of the constitutional referendum of 2000.
By Ian Scoones Mar. 21, 2023

Robin Palmer: The original land campaigner and scholar activist

Robin travelled to what was then Southern Rhodesia in 1960 to pursue an undergraduate degree at University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.
By Ian Scoones Mar. 31, 2023

Zim’s land resettlement experience

With the end of the strictures imposed by Lancaster House Agreement in 1990, it was possible for the state to acquire land and the Land Acquisition Act was passed in 1992.
By Ian Scoones Apr. 6, 2023

The ‘hidden middle’: the transformation of agri-food systems in Africa

Tom Reardon, lead author of the AGRA and IFAD reports that have highlighted this phenomenon so effectively, argued at a launch event
By Ian Scoones Apr. 18, 2023

Maize markets in Zim: A complex web of hidden activity

Maize is central to a complex web of small-scale businesses supporting production, transport, processing and marketing.
By Ian Scoones Apr. 30, 2023

Rethinking African developement

Facing up to uncertainty is at the heart of all these challenges
By Ian Scoones Jun. 9, 2023

The poultry value web in Zim

Agrodealers and veterinary supplies merchants are vital for poultry production, as diseases are common, especially among the more highly bred varieties.
By Ian Scoones Jun. 23, 2023

Booming horticulture markets: A growing ‘hidden middle’

The large-scale, commercial horticulture sector took a knock as farms were redistributed, although some have persisted and maintained their markets.
By Ian Scoones Jul. 21, 2023

Zimbabwe’s disputed election: why resource politics matter

Proof of rigging requires the cross-checking of the infamous V11 forms, but these have not yet all been provided.
By Ian Scoones Oct. 1, 2023

Appropriate agriculture machinery in Zimbabwe: the vital role of rural innovation and service hubs

In the past, the support for mechanisation was focused on big, high-tech and expensive machines – the classic tractors, combines or centre pivot irrigation systems.
By Ian Scoones Dec. 17, 2023

Why financing agric in Zim needs a rethink

In Zimbabwe however, beyond a few small donor-led projects, micro-finance has not taken off to the same extent.
By Ian Scoones Jan. 19, 2024

The changing remittance economy in Zim

Remittances also flow internally within the country, from people working in town in government jobs or in businesses of different sorts.
By Ian Scoones Feb. 4, 2024

Financing agric in Zim: What are the challenges, opportunities?

But remittances are not assured, as conditions change at migrant destinations, whether through Covid-19 restrictions, economic depression or xenophobic violence.
By Ian Scoones Feb. 16, 2024

Land reform changed livelihoods

An important strand of work complements the studies of land-based agricultural livelihoods after land reform and focuses on the intersections of farming and artisanal mining.
By Ian Scoones Feb. 23, 2024

Changing ideas of belonging and identity in post-land reform Zim

They argue that “ethno-regionalism was inevitable in the small-scale A1 farms, since it mainly resettled peasants near their communal areas of origin.
By Ian Scoones Mar. 8, 2024