Understanding poverty and human resources in Zimbabwe : changes in the 1990s and directions for the future

This study is a synthesis of existing information on poverty in Zimbabwe. It analyzes recent data to assess how economic reforms have affected poverty in Zimbabwe during the 1990s. The paper aims to build consensus on characteristics and causes of poverty to inform debate on policy priorities, and to guide discussion of the agenda for further studies of poverty. Poverty in Zimbabwe is predominantly rural, and is most prevalent in the country's communal farming and resettlement areas. Prevalence is lower on large-scale commercial farms and in urban areas. Poverty is also linked mainly to the fact that the majority of shareholders do not have sufficient access to good quality land and/or reliable water. Land is extremely unequally distributed, with the poor usually living on small plots in drought-prone areas that have poor soil. Land markets are inflexible, which constrains economic growth. The main conclusion of the paper is that after a period of stagnant growth, a painful adjustment period, and several droughts, there are now fairly good prospects for reducing poverty in Zimbabwe through a broad-based economic growth and direct investments targeted to the poor.