The contribution of communal rangelands to rural people's livelihoods in the Maluti district

Magister Philosophiae (Land and Agrarian Studies) - MPhil(LAS)The contribution of common property resources to rural people's livelihoods is enormous, yet policy makers overlook it. Wild resources, grazing resources and trees provide an important buffer for most rural households. This study investigates the contribution of common property resources, in particular communal rangeland resources, to rural people's livelihoods in the Maluti District of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Looking at an array of livelihood strategies which people use, the study investigates the proportional contribution of different livelihood strategies with reference to common property resources, specifically wild resources, grazing resources and trees

Valuing the commons: Rural livelihoods and communal rangeland resources in the Maluti District, Eastern Cape

The ‘hidden’ value of wild resources, trees and grazing resources on communal rangelands is often overlooked by conventional economic assessments, even though their contribution to people’s lives is enormous. There is growing interest in the role played by wild resources in rural people’s livelihoods

Land degradation in South Africa

South Africa has a long history of desertification research which stretches back to the last century. These resources contain literature on water, soil and veld degradation in both commercial and communal areas of South Africa. Also, the most important socio-economic reasons for land degradation are discussed. This resource contains various chapters and factsheets on land degradation in South Africa. A vast amount of data which was generated during the national review of land degradation in South Africa is also available in both GIS and Excel format

Constituting the commons in the new South Africa

This set of papers results from participation by staff members of the Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies in the eighth biennial conference of the International Association for the Study of Common Property, held at Bloomington, Indiana, from 31 May to 4 June, 2000. We are grateful to IASCP for accepting our proposal for a panel on 'Constituting the commons in the new South Africa', at which these papers were presented. We are also grateful to Dr James Murombedzi and the Ford Foundation for their role in stimulating and funding our participation in the conference, and their support for work at PLAAS on community-based natural resource management. However, we take full responsibility for any inadequacies in these papers, and for the opinions expressed in them

Cattle ownership and production in the communal areas of the Eastern Cape, South Africa

This report documents a study of the social and economic structure of cattle ownership and production in the communal tenure areas of the Eastern Cape (i.e. the former Bantustans of Transkei and Ciskei). The report begins with a review of the conventional arguments relating to cattle production systems in communal tenure areas, i.e. that they are inefficient and irrational. In seeking to challenge these pervasive assumptions concerning the way in which cattle production systems in these areas apparently work, it is argued, first, that very little systematic and detailed knowledge of these systems actually exists on which to base arguments that have had considerable impact and, second, that cattle ownership and production for African people in the Eastern Cape, quite apart from its obvious utility and cultural resonance, has been, for many decades, expressly about political-economic struggle against the state and its varied policies, which have had the effect – if not always the explicit intention – of the gradual proletarianisation of the rural population

From land rights to environmental entitlements: Community discontent in the 'successful' Dwesa-Cwebe land claim in South Africa

This paper discusses the inability of successful land claimants to enjoy livelihood benefits from their newly acquired land rights. Based on long-term field observation, interviews and analysis of secondary material, the paper uses a case study of the Dwesa-Cwebe Nature Reserve in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa to explore why it is that an agreement, as part of the land claim settlement, to allow local villagers regulated access to natural resources is not being implemented. The paper draws from the environmental entitlements framework to argue that full land rights that could allow livelihood benefits to be enjoyed are restricted by ineffective and conflicting institutional arrangements, such as the Land Trust, the Communal Property Association and traditional authorities. The paper calls for the empowerment of institutions to deliberately benefit local livelihoods.land claim, environmental entitlements, livelihoods, Dwesa-Cwebe, South Africa,

Constituting the commons in the new South Africa

Meeting: International Association for the Study of Common Property, 31 May - 4 June, 2000, Bloomington, IN, USCommunity-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM)in Southern AfricaCopublished with Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cap