The emergence of medium-scale farms is having important consequences for agricultural commercialisation across Africa. This article examines the role of medium-scale A2 farms allocated following Zimbabwe's land reform after 2000. While the existing literature focuses on changing farm size distributions, this article investigates processes of social differentiation across medium-scale farms, based on qualitative-quantitative studies in two contrasting sites (Mvurwi and Masvingo-Gutu). Diverse processes of accumulation are identified across commercial, aspiring and struggling farmers, and linked to contrasting patterns of agricultural production and sale, asset ownership, employment and finance. The ability to mobilise finance, influenced by the state of the macro-economy, as well as forms of political patronage, is identified as a crucial driver. Contrary to assertions that A2 farms are largely occupied by ‘cronies’ and that they are unproductive and under-utilised, a more differentiated picture emerges, with important implications for policy and the wider politics of Zimbabwe's countryside following land reform.

中文翻译：

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津巴布韦的中等规模商业农业：A2 安置农场的经验

中型农场的出现对整个非洲的农业商业化产生了重要影响。本文考察了 2000 年后津巴布韦土地改革后分配的中等规模 A2 农场的作用。虽然现有文献侧重于改变农场规模分布，但本文基于在两个对比鲜明的地点（Mvurwi 和 Masvingo-Gutu）。在商业、有抱负和苦苦挣扎的农民中确定了不同的积累过程，并与农业生产和销售、资产所有权、就业和金融的对比模式相关联。动员金融的能力，受宏观经济状况以及政治赞助形式的影响，被确定为关键驱动因素。与声称 A2 农场主要由“亲信”占据且它们没有生产力且未得到充分利用的说法相反，出现了更加不同的情况，这对土地改革后津巴布韦农村的政策和更广泛的政治具有重要影响。