Consensual but radical land reform? International experiences and its relevance for South Africa

The distribution of farmland in South Africa is an important issue with implications for the national policy goals of the National Development Plan: 2030 for both democratic and equitable land allocation and raising farmland productivity for a food-secure future.

Professor Michael Lipton will present “Consensual but Radical Land Reform: Is it possible?” a video conference seminar on issues related to South African agrarian reform and its many facets.  Professor Lipton will discuss, among other things, possibilities for a consensual, reasonable, and practical land distribution strategy to secure the goals of both equality and economic progress. He will bring to bear his extensive knowledge and experience on the dynamics of land reform and smallholder agricultural development.

The presentation is sponsored by the United Nations Development Program and takes place within the framework of the Climate and Energy work stream of the Towards Inclusive Economic Development in Southern Africa (SA-TIED) project. The Climate and Energy work stream is led jointly by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the South African Department of Planning Monitoring and Evaluation. 

Professor Lipton has many decades of research experience on the issues at hand. He is the recipient of the 2012 Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic and the author of the 2010 book, Land Reform in Developing Countries: property rights and property wrongs.