45 Our assessment, however, is that there is considerable room, and a range of existing farmer and agency capabilities and potentials, to reverse these declining production trends, and that agricultural recovery can feasibly be instituted in the medium term. This will require appropriate land, agricultural productivity and economic policy reforms, various corrective measures in land reform implementation, and these will need to be accompanied by a sound social protection program. Emerging from this review are a number of challenges that need addressing both in the short and the medium to long-term. These challenges can broadly be put into three categories. The first category is policy related, the second relates to agricultural productivity while the third category relates to the need for social protection for marginal and vulnerable members of our society. 6.3.1 Land Reform and Policy There can be no doubting the need to bring finality to the land question so as to allow agricultural recovery. For this to happen, the following policy challenges need to be seriously addressed: Completing the Legal Transfer of Land The delay in completing land acquisition is causing anxiety and instability in the agricultural sector (for resettled, displaced and remaining large-scale commercial farmers) with detrimental effects on productive land use. Chief among the challenges are issues of securing legally agreed land transfers and compensation for farm investments on acquired farms, as well as finalization of the acquisition process. A related issue souring negotiation of land transfers has been the broadening of farm acquisition to include moveable property such as tractors and other equipment. Tenure Security This is perhaps the biggest determinant of agricultural recovery in the country. There is currently a lack of clarity on the legal status of the newly created farms and this, needs to be addressed if new farmers are to invest in farming. Land rights on estates and conservancies also need to be clarified. Related to this as well is the lack of clarity in the treatment of plantations, export processing zones, specialized enterprises such as dairy, seed production operations and protected areas (forest and wildlife areas). Equally important is the question of farms that are under Bilateral Investment Protection Agreements (BIPAs). Ambivalence on the question of BIPAs has negatively impacted on the credibility of the country regarding its preparedness to honour its international obligations. Land Acquisition and Settlement on Special Enterprises Related to the tenure security issue is the problem of lack of clarity in the treatment of plantation, export processing zone agro-industrial concerns, farms