Zimbabweland’s festive top 20 for 2019

For readers of the blog who want to catch up, the ‘top 20’ most viewed blogs posted this year are listed below. Many looked at older ones too, and there are now over 370 to choose from. As ever, the favourite blogs are a mix of broad development issues with a Zimbabwe angle, or more specific reports on research, either our own field results or reviews of papers by others. There are a remarkable number of people who follow the blog, and many more who check in from all over the world. As in previous years, the readers come mostly from Zimbabwe, then South Africa, the US and the UK.

Over the last few years the blog has been commenting on occasions on UK engagement – from the 2015 election onwards. Given the recent events in the UK, all these blogs have relevance today. The comment ‘be scared’ sadly rings true.

Boris as PM: it’s no laughing matter

UK supports Zimbabwe’s return to the Commonwealth

What will Brexit mean for Africa?

The UK election, Africa and Zimbabwe

Meanwhile, here are the top 20 for 2019. There will be more in the new year. Meanwhile, happy reading!

1Zimbabwe’s challenges for 2019
2Connecting the Sustainable Development Goals
3Is farmer-led irrigation driving a new ‘green revolution’?
4What are ‘appropriate technologies’? Pathways for mechanising African agriculture
5Why radical land reform is needed in the UK
6Zimbabwe’s fuel riots: why austerity economics and repression won’t solve the problem
7The Chinese Belt and Road Initiative: what’s in it for Africa?
8South Africa’s land report: Zimbabwe lessons?
9Mining farmers and farming miners: what opportunities for accumulation?
10Are communal areas in Zimbabwe too poor for development?
11Can the technocratic reformers win in Zimbabwe?
12Boris as PM: it’s no laughing matter
13Robert Mugabe: a complex legacy
14Young people, land and agriculture in Zimbabwe: big challenges ahead
15Models for integrated resource assessment: biases and uncertainties
16Off-farm work and diversified livelihoods in Zimbabwe’s communal areas
17Responding to uncertainty: who are the experts?
18Land and tenure in Zimbabwe’s communal areas: why land reform was needed
19What does pro-poor rural development mean for Zimbabwe?
20Turning the populist tide: what are the alternatives?



This post was written by Ian Scoones and first appeared on Zimbabweland