Assessment of sources of livelihoods and opportunities to improve the contribution of farming within available food chains
- Authors: Mbusi, Nontembeko
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Households -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural poor -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Food security -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Livelihood strategies , Outcomes , Poverty , Farming , Employment
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc Agric (Agricultural Economics)
- Identifier: vital:11204 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1007575 , Households -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural poor -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Food security -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Livelihood strategies , Outcomes , Poverty , Farming , Employment
- Description: Official statistics suggest that as many as 40 percent to 60 percent of people in South Africa are living in poverty, and the 15 percent poorest are in a desperate struggle for survival. Since 1994, Government has been making an effort to help smallholder agriculture through numerous programmes, including those that address land ownership and provide credit and grants for farms and households, but very little change has taken place. Understanding the sources of livelihood and opportunities to improve the contribution of farming within available food chains is therefore an important practical need. The study investigated sources of livelihood and mapped the livelihoods profile of the farming households in parts of the Eastern Cape. The study was conducted in the Alice and Peddie communities in the Amathole district municipality. A set of structured questionnaires were used to interview the sample of 80 farming households selected through a random process within two irrigation schemes and communities that were selected purposively in line with the focus of the larger project on which this study is based. The resulting data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression. The descriptive results indicated that members of most rural households were old, married, uneducated and unemployed. Farming was primary livelihood strategy employed in these areas. Rural households were also dependent on remittances, social grants and pension funds because the farming strategy could not meet all their household needs. The major crops that were grown for income and food security to sustain their livelihoods included maize, potatoes, onions and butternut. Factors that had significant influences on outcomes were extension services, grants, pension and remittances, land productivity, type of irrigation system, market accessibility, output price difference and value adding. The available opportunities were land productivity, irrigation facilities, government or NGO programmes and working as a group. For improved livelihood of rural communities in Alice and Peddie, government needs to strengthen agricultural activities and equip farmers with market information, improve their access to irrigation schemes, provide training on value adding and also improve access to extension services.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Mbusi, Nontembeko
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Households -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural poor -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Food security -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Livelihood strategies , Outcomes , Poverty , Farming , Employment
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc Agric (Agricultural Economics)
- Identifier: vital:11204 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1007575 , Households -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural poor -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Food security -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Livelihood strategies , Outcomes , Poverty , Farming , Employment
- Description: Official statistics suggest that as many as 40 percent to 60 percent of people in South Africa are living in poverty, and the 15 percent poorest are in a desperate struggle for survival. Since 1994, Government has been making an effort to help smallholder agriculture through numerous programmes, including those that address land ownership and provide credit and grants for farms and households, but very little change has taken place. Understanding the sources of livelihood and opportunities to improve the contribution of farming within available food chains is therefore an important practical need. The study investigated sources of livelihood and mapped the livelihoods profile of the farming households in parts of the Eastern Cape. The study was conducted in the Alice and Peddie communities in the Amathole district municipality. A set of structured questionnaires were used to interview the sample of 80 farming households selected through a random process within two irrigation schemes and communities that were selected purposively in line with the focus of the larger project on which this study is based. The resulting data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression. The descriptive results indicated that members of most rural households were old, married, uneducated and unemployed. Farming was primary livelihood strategy employed in these areas. Rural households were also dependent on remittances, social grants and pension funds because the farming strategy could not meet all their household needs. The major crops that were grown for income and food security to sustain their livelihoods included maize, potatoes, onions and butternut. Factors that had significant influences on outcomes were extension services, grants, pension and remittances, land productivity, type of irrigation system, market accessibility, output price difference and value adding. The available opportunities were land productivity, irrigation facilities, government or NGO programmes and working as a group. For improved livelihood of rural communities in Alice and Peddie, government needs to strengthen agricultural activities and equip farmers with market information, improve their access to irrigation schemes, provide training on value adding and also improve access to extension services.
- Full Text:
Community development projects and food security: the case of Zanyokwe Irrigation Project Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
- Authors: Ndlovu, Sikhanyiso
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Irrigation farming -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Farms Small -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Family farms -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Food security -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (Dev)
- Identifier: vital:11438 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1007226 , Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Irrigation farming -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Farms Small -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Family farms -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Food security -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Although food insecurity is said to have decreased in South Africa in the past years particularly at the national level, however, at household level a substantial proportion of households remains at risk of food insecurity and are experiencing hunger particularly in the Eastern Cape Province were poverty is rife. Food insecurity in the Eastern Cape Province is attributed to the fact that agriculture, the mainstay of the rural economy is no longer given the value that it should carry, does not help the situation. Despite much research on food (in) security in South Africa, the link between poverty and household food security is not at all clear. This study seeks to fill this gap specifically by looking at the linkages in the main between food security and poverty especially in the community level. Amidst the various programmes and initiatives that are in place in South Africa, there is continual prevalence of food insecurity facing the majority of South African households. The major aim of this study was therefore to examine the impact of one of these programmes, the Zanyokwe irrigation scheme in enhancing food security not only for the farmers but also for the surrounding communities. This study adopted a qualitative approach to research. The study unearthed that even though Zanyokwe irrigation scheme has played an indispensable role in enhancing food security for the smallholder farmers and the community at large challenges such as market challenges, road infrastructural issues, land tenure issues, lack of proper coordination amongst the farmers as well as farmer empowerment are a major limitation to the growth of the irrigation scheme and the farmers. Thus, the study recommended that farmer support services, training, agriculture subsidies, improved infrastructure as well as addressing market related challenges will go a long way in reducing the plight of the Zanyokwe farmers as well as enhancing food security
- Full Text:
- Authors: Ndlovu, Sikhanyiso
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Irrigation farming -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Farms Small -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Family farms -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Food security -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (Dev)
- Identifier: vital:11438 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1007226 , Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Irrigation farming -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Farms Small -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Family farms -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Food security -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Although food insecurity is said to have decreased in South Africa in the past years particularly at the national level, however, at household level a substantial proportion of households remains at risk of food insecurity and are experiencing hunger particularly in the Eastern Cape Province were poverty is rife. Food insecurity in the Eastern Cape Province is attributed to the fact that agriculture, the mainstay of the rural economy is no longer given the value that it should carry, does not help the situation. Despite much research on food (in) security in South Africa, the link between poverty and household food security is not at all clear. This study seeks to fill this gap specifically by looking at the linkages in the main between food security and poverty especially in the community level. Amidst the various programmes and initiatives that are in place in South Africa, there is continual prevalence of food insecurity facing the majority of South African households. The major aim of this study was therefore to examine the impact of one of these programmes, the Zanyokwe irrigation scheme in enhancing food security not only for the farmers but also for the surrounding communities. This study adopted a qualitative approach to research. The study unearthed that even though Zanyokwe irrigation scheme has played an indispensable role in enhancing food security for the smallholder farmers and the community at large challenges such as market challenges, road infrastructural issues, land tenure issues, lack of proper coordination amongst the farmers as well as farmer empowerment are a major limitation to the growth of the irrigation scheme and the farmers. Thus, the study recommended that farmer support services, training, agriculture subsidies, improved infrastructure as well as addressing market related challenges will go a long way in reducing the plight of the Zanyokwe farmers as well as enhancing food security
- Full Text:
Government-sponsored community development projects as poverty alleviation tools: evidence from Mdantsane, East London
- Authors: Gedze, Ntombebhongo
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agriculture and state -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Eastern Cape -- South Africa , Poverty alleviation , Community participation , Mdantsane Township
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (Rural Development)
- Identifier: vital:11948 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1005995 , Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agriculture and state -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Eastern Cape -- South Africa , Poverty alleviation , Community participation , Mdantsane Township
- Description: The study investigates whether government-sponsored community development projects in the township of Mdantsane, Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa, have achieved the intended goal of alleviating poverty among the beneficiaries. The specific outcomes of poverty alleviation are: improved income, acquisition of new skills, reduced dependence on welfare grants. Four urban farming projects were selected, namely: Buffalo City Organic Producers, Sakhisizwe Nursery, Lusindiso Farmer’s Trading Co-operative and Mbombela Co-operative. Focus group discussions and a mini survey were conducted with project beneficiaries, while relevant government officials were interviewed. Conceptual insights were drawn from community development theory. The findings showed that the broader context within which the projects occurred was characterised by a pro-poor social policy, relative availability of resources with which to translate it into action, and a measure of entrepreneurial potential amongst community members. However, while one of the projects showed some promise (in the sense that beneficiaries acquired new skills and had a generally positive attitude despite not enjoying any improved income status), all the others appeared doomed and trapped in dynamics such as: excessive government control of the management of the initiatives, ineffective project monitoring, and the mischaracterisation of the initiatives by both the government and the beneficiaries. A distorted sense of ownership and perverse community participation seemed to prevail, which in turn robbed the initiatives of their poverty alleviation potential. The study thus concluded that specific benefactor-beneficiary dynamics are crucial for the success of a given anti-poverty intervention. A robust pro-poor social policy, availability of resources with which to translate it into action, and local entrepreneurial potential do not in themselves bring about success; they must operate in a certain way and be undergirded by certain principles for them to become a powerful mechanism for alleviating poverty. It is against this background that the researcher offers some recommendations.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Gedze, Ntombebhongo
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agriculture and state -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Eastern Cape -- South Africa , Poverty alleviation , Community participation , Mdantsane Township
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (Rural Development)
- Identifier: vital:11948 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1005995 , Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agriculture and state -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Eastern Cape -- South Africa , Poverty alleviation , Community participation , Mdantsane Township
- Description: The study investigates whether government-sponsored community development projects in the township of Mdantsane, Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa, have achieved the intended goal of alleviating poverty among the beneficiaries. The specific outcomes of poverty alleviation are: improved income, acquisition of new skills, reduced dependence on welfare grants. Four urban farming projects were selected, namely: Buffalo City Organic Producers, Sakhisizwe Nursery, Lusindiso Farmer’s Trading Co-operative and Mbombela Co-operative. Focus group discussions and a mini survey were conducted with project beneficiaries, while relevant government officials were interviewed. Conceptual insights were drawn from community development theory. The findings showed that the broader context within which the projects occurred was characterised by a pro-poor social policy, relative availability of resources with which to translate it into action, and a measure of entrepreneurial potential amongst community members. However, while one of the projects showed some promise (in the sense that beneficiaries acquired new skills and had a generally positive attitude despite not enjoying any improved income status), all the others appeared doomed and trapped in dynamics such as: excessive government control of the management of the initiatives, ineffective project monitoring, and the mischaracterisation of the initiatives by both the government and the beneficiaries. A distorted sense of ownership and perverse community participation seemed to prevail, which in turn robbed the initiatives of their poverty alleviation potential. The study thus concluded that specific benefactor-beneficiary dynamics are crucial for the success of a given anti-poverty intervention. A robust pro-poor social policy, availability of resources with which to translate it into action, and local entrepreneurial potential do not in themselves bring about success; they must operate in a certain way and be undergirded by certain principles for them to become a powerful mechanism for alleviating poverty. It is against this background that the researcher offers some recommendations.
- Full Text:
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