It took a major field study in China to discover (re-discover) the Obvious: Farming means investment of sweat and capital in the land, and no one wants to invest in land that can be take from them with the next shift in the political wind. We will see people sitting on perfectly good farmland, starving.

After realizing that "Collective ownership" was a failure, but unwilling/unable to admit it, the Chinese modified their policy, so that while the land is technically State owned, portions are permanently assigned to individual peasant families, who are entitled to profit from the land, and do not fear losing it. This way, there is real incentive to improve and maintain the farmland. How this is different from actual land ownership is something the Chinese don't discuss.

This is a very old argument however applicable today. Ian Smith could have told us this in 1979.

Not that I agree with much of what swhitebull says, I do believe him to be right in that we should have (through the if possible UN mind), forced a regime change in Zimbabwei by now, and place the opposition in charge..

There was a regime change in 1979! Bishop Muzorewa who was American educated by the way was Rhodesia's best hope for peaceful transformation to a truly democratic society...Now look at it.