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Land Use and Rural Livelihoods in South Africa: Emerging Evidence from the Eastern Cape

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  • Horman Chitonge

    (Horman Chitonge is a Researcher at the Centre for African Studies, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town. Email: horman.chitonge@uct.ac.za)

Abstract

This article examines whether rural households, both land reform beneficiary and aspirant, with access to land, use the land they have or not. Micro-data on crop and livestock production from land reform beneficiary and aspirant households in the Eastern Cape (South Africa) are analyzed to establish if households that have access to land actually use the land they have. Analysis of crop and livestock production data suggests that although land may not be used to full capacity in many of the households, the majority of them are using the land they have to produce different crops and livestock products for home consumption and sale. This is contrary to media reports that there is no production taking place on the overwhelming majority of land reform projects and in communal areas of former homelands. It is also apparent from the data presented below that the land reform beneficiary households on an average produce more crops and livestock than the non-beneficiary households.

Suggested Citation

  • Horman Chitonge, 2013. "Land Use and Rural Livelihoods in South Africa: Emerging Evidence from the Eastern Cape," Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy, Centre for Agrarian Research and Education for South, vol. 2(1), pages 1-40, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:agspub:v:2:y:2013:i:1:p:1-40
    DOI: 10.1177/2277976013477184
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