Agricultural interventions in South Africa have failed to deliver the promised poverty reduction for rural smallholders. Ecological economics, livelihoods studies, complex system methodology and discourse theory were used here to investigate the underlying reasons. The mismatch between local realities and programme management was found to be a central cause of failure. Lack of responsiveness to local realities within the programme resulted in tractors
being sent to plough fields across a river with no bridge, leading locals to comment ‘but tractors can’t fly'. The neoliberal discourse in South African development policy was found to be a crucial factor behind such omissions
