Research Articles (PLAAS)
Browse by
Recent Submissions
-
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 ... -
Cash transfers for sustainable rural livelihoods? Examining the long-term productive effects of the Child Support Grant in South Africa
(Elsevier, 2020)Cash transfers have received increased scholarly and policy attention, as a means of reducing poverty in the global South. While cash transfers are primarily intended to prevent impoverishment and deprivation, several ... -
The effect of varying dietary nutrient densities on the relative growth of ostrich body components
(OpenJournals Publishing AOSIS (Pty) Ltd, 2020)The influence of varying dietary protein and energy levels on the relative growth of body components of ostriches was evaluated over a 244-day growth period. One hundred twenty 1-day-old ostrich chicks were randomly ... -
Weed community assessment and response to smother cropping strategies at George, South Africa
(Editorial board of Journal of Experimental Biology and Agricultural Sciences, 2020)Weeds are one of the major constraints to crop cultivation that can affect crop yield based on their species composition and density. A field trial was initiated to assess the weed community composition and evaluate ... -
Meat quality, skin damage and reproductive performance of ostriches exposed to extensive human presence and interactions at an early age
(Springer Nature, 2020)The effect human presence and interactions performed after hatch to 3 months of age has on ostrich meat quality, skin damage and reproductive performance at a later age was investigated in 416-day-old ostrich chicks. The ... -
Bureaucrats, investors and smallholders: contesting land rights and agro-commercialisation in the Southern agricultural growth corridor of Tanzania
(Taylor & Francis, 2020)Since the triple crises of food, fuel and finance of 2007/8, investments in agricultural growth corridors have taken centrestage in government, donor and private sector initiatives. This article examines the politics of ... -
Changing livelihoods in rural Eastern Cape, South Africa (2002–2016): Diminishing employment and expanding social protection
(Taylor & Francis, 2020)This is evident in South Africa’s former ‘homelands’, the site where this study examined changes in rural livelihoods over a 14-year period. Detailed survey data (collected in 2002 and 2016) from two villages in the Pondoland ... -
Narratives of scarcity: Framing the global land rush
(Elsevier, 2019)Global resource scarcity has become a central policy concern, with predictions of rising populations, natural resource depletion and hunger. The narratives of scarcity that arise as a result justify actions to harness ... -
Improving policy coherence for food security and nutrition in South Africa: a qualitative policy analysis
(Springer Netherlands, 2018)Like most other low and middle-income countries, South Africa must address a rising burden of diet-related chronic disease in a situation of persistent food insecurity and undernutrition. Supply-side policy interventions ... -
Gender, politics and sugarcane commercialisation in Tanzania
(Taylor & Francis Group, 2019)This article explores relationships between state, corporate capital and local stakeholders in the political economy of sugarcane from a gender perspective. The findings, based on empirical research at the site of Tanzania’s ... -
Training of trainers module for gender sensitive community engagement in large scale land based investments in agriculture
(Institute for Poverty Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), 2019)WHY THIS TRAINING OF TRAINERS (ToT) MODULE? In 2013, the African Union (AU) commissioned an assessment study on the occurrence of large-scale land-based investments in agriculture (LSLBI). The study was commissioned under ... -
The vampire squid: Value, crisis and the power of finance
(Wiley, 2019)Over the last five decades the power and global reach of financial institutions and finance capital to organize economic, social and political life has grown seemingly unchecked. This is manifested in the ability of ... -
Support for smallholder farmers in South Africa: Challenges of scale and strategy
(Routledge, 2012)The South African Government aims to expand the smallholder sector as part of its broader job creation strategy. However, research shows that government attempts to support smallholder farmers have generally been costly ... -
Elite capture and state neglect: new evidence on South Africa’s land reform
(Routledge, 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 ... -
Without the blanket of the land: agrarian change and biopolitics in post–Apartheid South Africa
(Routledge, 2018)This paper connects Marxist approaches to the agrarian political economy of South Africa with post-Marshallian and Foucauldian analyses of distributional regimes and late capitalist governmentality. Looking at South ...