7 research outputs found
Restitution and post-settlement support: Three case studies from Limpopo
Belgian Technical Cooperation (BTC
Post settlement challenges for land reform beneficiaries: three case studies from Limpopo Province
Magister Philosophiae (Land and Agrarian Studies) - MPhil(LAS)This thesis presented a study of post-settlement experiences of land reform beneficiaries, with a focus on three case studies from Limpopo Province. Since 1994, the South African government has implemented a land reform programme that aims to redress the injustices in land ownership patterns in the country. This study included a review of international and local literature on land reform with particualr interest in what happens after land transfer and settlement.South Afric
Agrarian change and the fate of farmworkers : trajectories of strategic partnership and farm labour in Levubu Valley, South Africa
Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThis thesis examines the trajectories of agrarian change on community-owned commercial farms in the Levubu Valley in the northern part of Limpopo Province, South Africa. Levubu
is a locality where fertile land was developed and made highly productive after state-led
dispossession of African communities. White farmers were initially resettled on a state-run
irrigation scheme, but later became independent large-scale commercial farmers linked to
global agro-food markets. The thesis focusses on four Communal Property Associations
(CPAs) that acquired ownership of farms in Levubu. Government’s post-apartheid land
restitution programme required the CPAs to enter into ‘strategic partnership’ agreements with
agribusiness companies. Resettlement of beneficiaries on these farms was ruled out in an
attempt to sustain existing production systems and levels of employment. After these
partnerships collapsed, CPAs have attempted to run the farms themselves, through operating
companies employing professional farm managers. Using key concepts from agrarian
political economy, the thesis seeks to understand the dynamics of production and social
reproduction on the farms and the political tensions that have arisen since restitution
occurred. It also explores how this form of land restitution has impacted on the livelihoods of
farmworkers. The study combines intensive (or qualitative) research methods, involving indepth
interviews, focus groups and direct observations, and extensive (or quantitative)
approaches, mainly in the form of a farmworker household survey undertaken in two
communities. This research design has allowed for ‘retrospective’ analysis of changes over
time to be complemented by ‘circumspective’ analysis of the relations and dynamics of
property, production and power on community-owned farms in Levubu. The main findings of
the study are that neither joint venture companies nor community-owned farming enterprises
have been able to distribute dividend payments to claimant community members as yet.
Rather, when profits have been realised they have largely been invested back into productive
enterprises. Few other benefits have been received either, other than the preferential
employment of some claimant farmworkers on the farms, a small number as managers or
supervisors. Although additional jobs were created in the initial stages of restitution, these
enterprises have struggled to maintain employment levels. Poor management decisions have
meant that increased labour costs have not been accompanied by increases in productivity
and output. Severe tensions and conflicts have arisen within CPAs, manifested in different
forms of identity politics and competing ‘modes of belonging’. Tensions in communityowned
large-scale farming enterprises are explained by the contradictory unity of capital and labour within community-owned enterprises, with difficult choices to be made between
enhancing social reproduction or ensuring accumulation and profitability. These combine
with complex processes of identification in socio-political struggles around access to and
control of key resources. These findings suggest that policy makers should re-examine
assumptions in relation to community-owned farming enterprises and explore mechanisms
through which individual beneficiary households can realise more significant benefits. One
policy option might be to seek the complementarity of large-scale commercial farming and
smallholder farming systems, both on land restored to CPAs through restitution and in
communal areas
Joint ventures in agriculture: Lessons from land reform projects in South Africa
Recent years have witnessed renewed interest in ‘inclusive business models’ in
agriculture, as part of wider discussions about growing agricultural investment in
lower income countries. Inclusive models aim to include poor people into value
chains as producers, employees or consumers, in ways that are both equitable and
sustainable. Joint ventures between companies and local communities have
received considerable attention in these debates.
This report presents findings from research on joint ventures in South Africa’s
agricultural sector. The South African experience presents major specificities linked
to its history and its recent land reform programme, within which experience with joint
ventures has emerged. But it also provides a case where joint ventures have been
implemented for some time, and some of the lessons learned may prove valuable for
different contexts where discussions about joint ventures are more recent.
Under South Africa’s land reform programme, since 1994, previously dispossessed
communities have had large areas of agricultural land restored to them and, under
pressure from the state, have entered into a range of joint enterprises with
commercial partners. Early evidence suggests that these enterprises face multiple
difficulties, and the report provides a cautionary tale for international discussions
about inclusive business models.
This report is based on two case studies of land reform in Limpopo province, Levubu
and Moletele. In these sites, large areas of high-value irrigated land have been
restored to relatively poor communities. In order to maintain the productivity of
commercial farming enterprises, and to maximise long-term benefits for their
members, these communities have entered into contractual arrangements with socalled
‘strategic partners’, most of which take the form of joint ventures. While the
state funds the land transfer and provides certain start-up grants, the strategic
partner is expected to provide technical and managerial expertise and arrange
access to commercial sources of credit. In return, the strategic partners expect to
benefit from a share of profits, a management fee and opportunities for additional
upstream and downstream activities. Communities stand to benefit from land rentals
and a share of operating profits, as well as jobs and training opportunities for their
member
Land redistribution and poverty reduction in South Africa: The livelihood impacts of smallholder agriculture under land reform
Since its inception in 1994, South Africa’s land
reform programme has aimed to achieve multiple
objectives, including redressing the historical
racial imbalance in landholding, alleviating poverty
and developing the rural economy. A range
of policies has been developed to deal with restitution
of historical land rights, redistribution
of agricultural land and protection of the rights
of people living in communal areas and on commercial
farms. Delivery, however, has been painfully
slow, with all key policy areas falling far behind
their stated targets (DLA 1997; Hall 2004)
Fronteiras do Pensamento
Na conferência "Educação no Século XXI", o psicólogo norte americano Howard Gardner falou sobre sua teoria das Inteligências Múltiplas