Two decades of land reform in South Africa: insights from an agricultural economics created by Michael Lyne

This paper reviews the land reforms anticipated in the mid-1990s when South Africa's first democratically elected government formalised its land policy. It reflects on cash grants as the key instrument adopted by government to effect land redistribution and restitution, and links this instrument and the way it was applied to the poor outcomes achieved for both agriculture and people. Attention then turns to more recent policies aimed at rescuing failed land reform projects and avoiding future failures by assigning a more central and prescriptive role to government agencies. The message to agricultural economists is to discern between rhetoric and policy, and to focus on ‘getting institutions right’ at both a policy and practical level. The paper offers insights into problems and opportunities that warrant close and professional attention.