scholarly journals Ensuring access to water for food production by emerging farmers in South Africa: What are the missing ingredients?

Water SA ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (2 April) ◽  
Author(s):  
C Chikozho ◽  
R Managa ◽  
T Dabata
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Land Reform ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Water Supply Systems ◽  
Land Transfer ◽  
Sustainable Water Supply ◽  
Access To Water ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

One of the key components essential to the productivity of small-scale farmers who secured farms through the land redistribution programme in South Africa is access to reliable sources of water for irrigation. In this study, we deployed a stakeholder-oriented qualitative research methodology to understand the extent to which land reform farming schemes in Bela-Bela and Greater Sekhukhune have been able to access water and use it to enhance their agricultural production. We were keen to identify and articulate the water-related challenges and missing ingredients for successful agricultural production on the new farming schemes. The study found that access to water for irrigated agriculture is not guaranteed for most of the emerging farmers and they do not have the finance needed to invest in sustainable water supply systems for irrigation. As a result, the majority of the farmers in our study sample have not been able to realize any meaningful agricultural production, with their farming schemes being either underutilized or not functioning at all. Other key challenges include lack of finance, high costs of electricity, and lack of farming knowledge among the emerging farmers. The paper concludes that there is need for key actors in the development sector to provide more substantive post–land transfer support and ensure better access to water for the emerging farmers. This will enhance the farmers’ chances of realizing more meaningful agricultural production while improving their livelihoods.

scholarly journals Ensuring access to water for food production by emerging farmers in South Africa: What are the missing ingredients?

Water SA ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (2 April) ◽  
Author(s):  
C Chikozho ◽  
R Managa ◽  
T Dabata
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Land Reform ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Water Supply Systems ◽  
Land Transfer ◽  
Sustainable Water Supply ◽  
Access To Water ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

One of the key components essential to the productivity of small-scale farmers who secured farms through the land redistribution programme in South Africa is access to reliable sources of water for irrigation. In this study, we deployed a stakeholder-oriented qualitative research methodology to understand the extent to which land reform farming schemes in Bela-Bela and Greater Sekhukhune have been able to access water and use it to enhance their agricultural production. We were keen to identify and articulate the water-related challenges and missing ingredients for successful agricultural production on the new farming schemes. The study found that access to water for irrigated agriculture is not guaranteed for most of the emerging farmers and they do not have the finance needed to invest in sustainable water supply systems for irrigation. As a result, the majority of the farmers in our study sample have not been able to realize any meaningful agricultural production, with their farming schemes being either underutilized or not functioning at all. Other key challenges include lack of finance, high costs of electricity, and lack of farming knowledge among the emerging farmers. The paper concludes that there is need for key actors in the development sector to provide more substantive post–land transfer support and ensure better access to water for the emerging farmers. This will enhance the farmers’ chances of realizing more meaningful agricultural production while improving their livelihoods.

LAND REFORM IN SOUTH AFRICA: OBSTINATE SPACIAL DISTORTIONS

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-31
Author(s):  
Manala Shadrack Maake
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Land Reform ◽  
Economic Transformation ◽  
Land Claims ◽  
Tenure Reform ◽  
Land Redistribution ◽  
Reform Programme ◽  
Theoretical Paper

This theoretical paper seeks to make an empirical contribution to the Land Reform discourses. The paper argues that the pace of land redistribution in South Africa is undeniably slow and limits livelihood choices of relatively most intended beneficiaries of land reform programme. The primacy and success of the programme within rural development ought to measured and assessed through ways in which the land reform programmes conforms to and improve the livelihoods, ambitions and goals of the intended beneficiaries without compromising agricultural production and the economy. In addition, paper highlights the slow pace of land reform programme and its implications on socio-economic transformation of South Africa. Subsequently, the paper concludes through demonstrating the need for a radical approach towards land reform without disrupting agricultural production and further to secure support and coordination of spheres of government. The democratic government in South Africa inherited a country which characterized by extreme racial imbalances epitomized through social relations of land and spatial distortions. Non-white South Africans are still feeling the effects of colonial and apartheid legal enactments which sought to segregate ownership of resources on the basis of race in particular. Thus, successive democratic governments have the specific mandate to re-design and improve land reform policies which are targeted to reverse colonially fueled spatial distortions. South Africa’s overall Land Reform programme consists of three key elements and namely are; land redistribution, tenure reform and land restitution. Concomitantly, spatial proponents and researchers have denounced and embraced land reform ideology and its status quo in South Africa. The criticisms overlapped towards both beneficiaries and state due to factors like poor post-settlement support, lack of skills, lack of capital, infighting over land claims and land management.

scholarly journals A survey of plants used by rural small-scale farmers to control pests of cabbage in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nolitha L. Skenjana ◽  
Maxwell A. Poswal
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Pest Control ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Diamondback Moth ◽  
Botanical Insecticides ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Eastern Cape Province ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

Background: Resource-poor small-scale farmers often cannot afford the high prices of chemical insecticides to control pests on crops; as a result, some use botanical insecticides. Aim: The aim of the study was to document ethnobotanical pest control methods used by rural small-scale farmers to control pests of cabbage in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Setting: 217 rural small-scale crop-producing farmers from 14 towns in the Amathole, Joe Gqabi, Alfred Nzo, Chris Hani and OR Tambo Districts participated in the study. Methods: Questionnaires were administered to consenting farmers between July and November in 2012, using the convenience and stratified purposive sampling techniques. Data collected were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis. Results: The majority of farmers using botanical insecticides were females above the age of 60 years. The farmers identified 23 plants, which they use in their pest control strategies against seven pests of cabbage. The annual herb Tagetes minuta L. (Asteraceae) was cited as the most commonly used herb by 47% of the respondents, followed by Chenopodium ambrosioides L. (Chenopodiceae), Aloe ferox Mills. (Asphodelaceae) and Nicotiana tabacum L. (Solanaceae). Various plant parts were used in combinations or alone in the preparation of formulations mainly against aphids, cutworms and the diamondback moth. Conclusion: The plants, plant parts, combinations and formulations used by farmers in their cabbage pest control strategies need to be scientifically authenticated for efficacy.

scholarly journals Impacts of literacy rate and human development indices on agricultural production in South Africa

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (No. 11) ◽  
pp. 531-536
Author(s):  
S. Leshoro ◽  
T.L.A. Leshoro
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Human Development ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Literacy Rate ◽  
Distributed Lag ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Impact

Agriculture is an important sector in South Africa, and the impact that education and human development would have made in this sector via non-white small scale farming was limited through biased policies of the apartheid era. Due to apartheid laws, South Africa found itself with high levels of unskilled labour force. This study seeks to find the impacts of literacy rate and human development indices on agricultural production using Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) Bounds Test approach to co-integration. A long run relationship among the variables, agricultural production (agriculture GDP), literacy rate and human development indices were found. Literacy rate has a positively significant effect on agricultural production in the long run while Human Development Index has a positive and significant impact in the short run. This indicates that the apartheid regime fell short in recognizing the positive effect of education in the agricultural sector by denying a descent education to the majority of non-whites which were farm labourers or small scale farmers. This study provides some policy recommendations.  

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