"Rich" and "Poor" in Mutoko communal area by H Coudere and S Marijsse

The peasant households of the communal areas of Zimbabwe, 55% of the national population, together with the farm labourers in the large-scale commercial farming sector, are considered as the two large underprivileged groups in Zimbabwean society. An attempt is made to discover how homogeneous, in terms of income, communal land is. Secondly, it is determined whether existing disparities in income depend very much on the type of village, as has been alleged by many researchers acquainted with communal lands. Thirdly, the variables that determine the income of peasants are identified. In the Mutoko communal area, even the 10% of peasants with the highest incomes have a mean income that is substantially lower than the minimum income of the underprivileged group of farm labourers and are thus 'poor' in a wider national context. The concepts of 'rich' and 'poor' in the communal area context are considered. The conclusion is drawn that access to land is by far the most important factor explaining production and income variation in the communal lands. More intensive use of communal lands cannot be a substitute for resettlement in the longer run. In the short and medium term, the intensification of land use can be made more successful by encouraging membership of farming groups. Factors determining production and income differentials in Mutoko are outlined.