Antony Chawagarira
HARARE — Government is strengthening security of tenure for farmers across Zimbabwe’s different agricultural land categories, with qualifying beneficiaries under resettlement schemes now being issued securitised title deeds.
The development is part of the new Tenure Implementation Programme, which seeks to provide clearer documentation of land rights while supporting agricultural investment, productivity and sustainable land utilisation.
Communal Land covers approximately 16.4 million hectares, representing about 42 percent of Zimbabwe’s total land area, and supports an estimated five million people, mainly rural households.
The land is held by the State for the benefit of communal communities and is occupied under customary tenure, with households enjoying rights to occupy and use the land rather than individual freehold title.
Communal areas remain central to Zimbabwe’s rural economy and livelihoods, supporting smallholder agriculture, livestock production, communal grazing and other economic activities.
Small-Scale Commercial Farms, commonly known as Matenganyika, cover approximately 1.4 million hectares and comprise about 9 000 farming households.
Unlike communal land, these are defined individual farm units that have historically been operated by African farmers under different tenure arrangements, with production generally having a stronger market orientation.
Government also administers Commercial Farm Settlement Schemes, which comprise former large agricultural estates, including selected former Agricultural and Rural Development Authority farms, that were subdivided and allocated to indigenous farmers as individual commercial farming units.
The schemes were designed to broaden indigenous participation in commercial agriculture by providing beneficiaries with larger and more commercially oriented farm holdings than those generally found in communal areas.
Beneficiaries operate defined farm units primarily for crop and livestock production while benefiting from infrastructure and agricultural potential inherited from the former estates.
Under the old resettlement schemes, beneficiaries were allocated land through the Agricultural Land Settlement Programme, with their rights of occupation generally secured through permits, leases or other tenure documents issued by Government depending on the particular scheme and period of allocation.
Under the A1 villagised settlement model, beneficiaries are allocated residential and arable plots within planned village settlements, while grazing and other resources are commonly shared.
Their tenure has traditionally been secured through A1 Settlement Permits, which give beneficiaries the right to occupy and use allocated land for agricultural, residential and pastoral purposes, subject to the conditions of the permits.
Qualifying A1 beneficiaries are now being issued securitised title deeds under the new tenure implementation programme.
The A2 Settlement Model is designed for larger individually operated commercial farms, with beneficiaries allocated defined farm units.
Traditionally, A2 farmers received offer letters pending the issuance of 99-year leases, but qualifying beneficiaries are now being issued new securitised title deeds under the Tenure Implementation Programme.
The tenure reforms are intended to provide greater security and clearer documentation of land rights while supporting larger-scale commercial agricultural production and long-term investment.
Another category being addressed under the country’s land administration framework involves farms protected under Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements, commonly known as BIPPAs.
BIPPAs are bilateral agreements between Zimbabwe and other countries that protect qualifying foreign investments. In the land sector, some farms owned by qualifying foreign investors and protected under ratified BIPPAs are being resolved through compensation or restoration of title, depending on the circumstances of each property.
In 2026, Government returned 74 BIPPA-protected farms to qualifying investors as part of efforts to resolve specific legal and international obligations.
Delisting refers to the process through which a property that had previously been acquired or gazetted for State acquisition is removed from the acquisition process following verification and Government approval.
The return of the 74 BIPPA-protected farms has been presented as a mechanism for resolving specific legal and international obligations and not as a reversal of Zimbabwe’s Land Reform Programme.
The different tenure categories reflect Zimbabwe’s varied agricultural landholding arrangements, with each category carrying distinct rights and conditions.
Through the new tenure reforms, Government is seeking to provide qualifying farmers with stronger documentation of their land rights while creating conditions that can encourage investment, agricultural production and sustainable utilisation of land.
The programme comes as Zimbabwe continues efforts to transform agriculture into a productive and commercially viable sector and strengthen the contribution of land and agriculture to the national economy.
