Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS)
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The Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) engages in research, training, policy development and advocacy in relation to land and agrarian reform, rural governance and natural resource management. It is committed to social change that empowers the poor, builds democracy and enhances sustainable livelihoods.
Collections in this community
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Fact Check [4]
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Policy Briefs (PLAAS) [130]
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Policy Submissions [13]
Recent Submissions
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Co-production of knowledge in transdisciplinary communities of practice: Experiences from food governance in South Africa
(Oxford University Press, 2021)Communities of Practice are sites of social learning for the co-production of knowledge. Building on recent literature on Transdisciplinary Communities of Practice, this article reflects on the experiences of an emergent ... -
Social assistance and dignity: South African women’s experiences of the child support grant
(Routledge, 2015)Many women interact with the South African social security system in relation to the Child Support Grant (CSG), which is social assistance payable for children living with low-income caregivers. This paper explores women’s ... -
The humble sardine (small pelagics): Fish as food or fodder
(BMC, 2016)The group of small pelagic fish is the largest species group landed globally. A significant proportion of this nutrient-rich food is processed and lost to livestock feed, fish feed, fish oil, pet food and omega-rich ... -
Multi-stakeholder process of co-designing small-scale fisheries policy in South Africa
(Springer Nature, 2016)In 2005, a group of researchers, community-based organizations and lawyers got together with small-scale fishers to launch a class action law suit against the government of South Africa in its allocation system of Individual ... -
Migrant workers into contract farmers: Processes of labour mobilization in colonial and contemporary Mozambique
(Cambridge University Press, 2017)During the post-liberalization period, contract farming schemes have become a recurrent feature of agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa. Contract farming is not a new phenomenon in the continent but it has gained ... -
Post-agrarian biopolitics
(Wiley, 2017)How does one make sense of the incorporation of millions of South Africa’spoor and landless black people into a political and economic order thatcannot deliver on its promises — and what are the implications?The path of ... -
The role of family in the township informal economy of food and drink in KwaMashu, South Africa
(Emerald, 2018)The purpose of this paper is to provide a qualitative investigation of family employment dynamics in the KwaMashu township economy. Using a small area census research method, the researchers identified 1,556 businesses ... -
Can smallholder avocado production reduce poverty and improve food security through internal markets? The case of Giheta, Burundi
(Taylor & Francis, 2018)The role of agriculture in rural development is widely documented in literature. Many analysts regard agriculture, specifically smallscale agriculture, as an effective instrument for poverty reduction and food security, ... -
A 20-year evaluation of PLAAS research outputs: Impact on the scholarly domain and in social media
(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2019)Patterns and methods of scholarly communication have changed with the growth in information technology, particularly the Internet and the social web. The changes have necessitated a broader definition of scholarly communication ... -
Agriculture, value chains and the rural non-farm economy in Malawi, South Africa and Zimbabwe
(Spinger Nature, 2019)This chapter compares rural development in Malawi, South Africa and Zimbabwe, concentrating on agricultural value chains and their implications for the rural non-farm economy (RNFE). Based on detailed qualitative exploration, ... -
Narratives of scarcity: Framing the global land rush
(Elsevier, 2019)Global resource scarcity has become a central policy concern, with predictions of rising populations, naturalresource depletion and hunger. The narratives of scarcity that arise as a result justify actions to harness ... -
“Reproducing the social”: Contradictory interconnections between land, cattle production and household relations in the Besters Land Reform Project, South Africa
(Routledge, 2019)Land redistribution policy in South Africa emphasises commercial farming as the legitimate use of land. This production-oriented framework fails to take into account the intertwined but unstable relationship between the ... -
Women’s engagement in and outcomes from small-scale fisheries value chains in Malawi: Effects of social relations
(Spinger, 2019)Women play an important role within small-scale fishing communities in sub-Saharan Africa through engaging in fish value chain activities and contributing to household food security and income. There is, however, little ... -
Fisheries crime, human rights and small-scalefisheries in South Africa: Acase of biggerfish to fry
(Elsevier, 2019)Marinefisheries plays an important role in ensuring food security and providing livelihoods in South Africa, as inmany other developing coastal States. Transnationalfisheries crime seriously undermines these goals. Drawingon ... -
PLAAS Annual Report 2019
(PLAAS, 2020-12-01)PLAAS had a successful 2019, contributing effectively to the University of the Western Cape’s mission as a research-led, community-oriented and engaged university. -
Community land formalization and company land acquisition procedures: A review of 33 procedures in 15 countries
(Elsevier, 2020)Indigenous and community lands, crucial for rural livelihoods, are typically held under informal customary tenure arrangements. This can leave the land vulnerable to outside commercial interests, so communities may seek ... -
Elite capture and state neglect: new evidence on South Africa’s land reform
(Taylor & Francis, 2017)South Africa’s land reform is in flux – and, arguably, in crisis. We argue here that the widespread criticism of its slow pace fails to capture the extent of this crisis. Our argument follows from that of Lionel Cliffe ... -
Immunoglobulin G response and performance in Holstein calves supplemented with garlic powder and probiotics
(MDPI, 2020)The study evaluated the effects of garlic, probiotics, and in combination on levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and growth performance in new-born Holstein calves. Thirty-two Holstein calves were randomly allocated to ... -
Behavioural reactivity of two lines of South African Merino sheep divergently selected for reproductive potential
(Elsevier, 2020)The behavioural reactivity of two divergently selected lines of South African Merino sheep for an increased (HL: N = 1187) and reduced (LL: N = 285) number of lambs weaned per ewe mated was investigated using a docility ... -
Tillage practices affect weeds differently in monoculture vs. crop rotation
(Elsevier, 2020)Reduced tillage practices are widely considered to be more sustainable than conventional tillage practices, but many producers remain reluctant to reduce tillage due to difficulties controlling weeds. Crop rotation is often ...
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