Extremely high levels of unemployment contribute to poverty and inequality, and are one of South Africa’s most intractable problems. Can the agricultural sector help to address the problem? And how can land reform be ...

SA’s land reform regarded as a failure – economic objectives – the spectre of ‘failed projects’ – changing the racial pattern of land ownership – too slow • No consensus as to why, or what to do • Even so, ambitious ...

• Locate land reform in SA in changes in 1970s which ended “state activism in capitalism” and started the “moment of ‘globalization” • Global restructuring of capital has been accompanied by the “fragmentation” of classes ...

Overarching story • Away from pro-poor neo-liberalism towards the convergence of state resources, private capital and traditional authority • Elite capture of shrinking state resources – dangerous combination in context ...

Land reform in South Africa is a political project that has foundered. For years, the process has been variously described as being ‘in crisis’, ‘at a crossroads’, ‘at an impasse’ or simply ’stuck’. This still seems as ...

1.1. The Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) welcomes the initiative to amend the Extension of Security of Tenure Act, 62 of 1997. 1.2. PLAAS is a constituent unit of the School of Government at the ...

“Rural development is about enabling rural people to take control of their destiny, thereby dealing effectively with rural poverty through the optimal use and management of natural resources” (MRDLR 2009:14).

Background • Consensus across the board that LR is in deep trouble and unlikely to meet targets • Some argue that food security is of rising concern, given rising food prices (here and globally) • Minister Nkwinti: ...

The land sector has always been characterised by lively and public arguments over policy, and some of the central and recurring themes of the previous five years of debate were expected to surface at the conference. ...