Browsing Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) by Subject "Livelihoods"
Now showing items 1-20 of 49
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Agricultural land acquisition by foreign investors in Pakistan: Government policy and community responses
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2012)This paper explores the Pakistani government’s 2009 agricultural investment policy package — a response to increasing foreign investor interest in agricultural land — and considers the likely implications for local communities. ... -
Another countryside? Policy options for land and agrarian reform in South Africa
(Institute for Poverty Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), 2009)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 ... -
Are trade unions and NGOs leveraging social codes to improve working conditions? A study of two locally developed codes in the South African fruit and wine farming sectors
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2017-11)The paper explores one aspect of the food security question, namely the livelihoods of farmworkers, which ultimately speaks to the sustainability of farms and the provision of food. It focuses on the emergence of locally ... -
At the crossroads: Land and agrarian reform in South Africa into the 21st century
(Institute for Poverty Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), and National Land Committee (NLC), 2000)These conference proceedings are published at a time of extraordinary fluidity and uncertainty as to the future of the ambitious programmes of land and agrarian reform1 initiated by the first democratic government in 1994. ... -
Beyond the “proper job:” Political-economic analysis after the century of labouring man
(Beyond the “Proper Job:” Political-economic Analysis after the Century of Labouring Man, 2018-04)This programmatic article proposes an approach to global political-economic inquiry in the wake of the failure of long-established transition narratives, notably the narrative centred on a universal trajectory from ... -
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 ... -
A case-study of the lekgophung tourism lodge, South Africa
(Institute for Poverty Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), 2002)The Lekgophung Lodge is a community-owned wildlife tourism lodge, located in the western part of the Madikwe Game Reserve in the North West Province of South Africa. The Lekgophung community is settled near the western ... -
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 ... -
Commercial biofuel land deals & environment and social impact assessments in Africa: Three case studies in Mozambique and Sierra Leone
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2011)The rapid increase in attempts by foreign investors to acquire large tracts of land in Africa for biofuel developments has generated substantial concern about their potential negative impact on the communities living in ... -
Commercialisation of land and ‘Land Grabbing': Implications for Land Rights and livelihoods in Malawi
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2015)This study investigates the processes and impact of commercialisation of land in Malawi – specifically the acquisition of huge tracts of communal lands by foreign companies and local elites for sugarcane production in ... -
Commercialisation, deagrarianisation and the accumulation/reproduction dynamic: Massive maize production schemes in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2012-12)The post-apartheid era has seen the South African government trying to reverse ‘deagrarianisation’ in the former homelands by introducing ‘modern’ farming techniques and agribusiness principles. This paper situates the ... -
Commons governance in Southern Africa
(PLAAS, University of the Western Cape, 2009-06-28)This Policy Brief is based on synthetic studies undertaken by participants in the Cross Sectoral Commons Governance in Southern Africa (CROSCOG) project between 2007 and 2009, funded by the European Commission (European ... -
Digital tech in African agriculture: livelihoods, climate change and food system transformation
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, 2023)Background: The digital revolution in global agriculture has begun and this includes digital technology in African agriculture. We now see the use of a variety of digital tools on the continent, such as drones, precision ... -
Evaluating land and agrarian reform in South Africa : Land use and livelihoods
(Institute for Poverty Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), 2003)This paper addresses how land reform can contribute to enhancing land-based livelihoods. South African agriculture is often characterised as being divided into two types: freehold tenure/ commercial agriculture vs. ... -
Examining livelihoods and reconsidering rural development in the former homelands of South Africa
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2017)Persistent poverty and under-development in South Africa’s former homeland communal areas have been little changed by post-apartheid ‘rural development’ policy. Rural development policy has often been characterised by ... -
Farm workers and farm dwellers in Limpopo, South Africa: Struggles over tenure, livelihoods and justice
(Institute for Poverty Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), 2013)Stories about farm workers and dwellers losing their homes, land and livelihoods are common in contemporary South Africa, and also in Limpopo Province. Around 1988, Grace M.1 and her children were evicted from a Limpopo ... -
Farming styles, livelihoods and social differentiation of smallholder farmers: Insights from New Forest Irrigation Scheme in Mpumalanga Province of South Africa
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2018-05)This article focuses on the socio-economic differentiation of smallholder farmers in New Forest Irrigation Scheme. Smallholder irrigation schemes are seen as a way of alleviating poverty and contributing to economic growth. ... -
Foreign investments and livelihoods in northern Zambia
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2018-12)This study employs a wider livelihoods approach to challenge some insular neo-classical economic narratives on the nature, process and impact of large-scale land acquisitions on smallholder farmers living on Africa’s ... -
Gendered dimensions of land and rural livelihoods: The case of new settler farmer displacement at Nuanetsi Ranch, Mwenezi District, Zimbabwe
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2012)Nuanetsi Ranch had been invaded by villagers from different parts of Mwenezi, Chiredzi and Chivi communal areas since 2000. In February 2010, the government announced that the settlers had to be removed and resettled in ... -
Household livelihoods and increasing foreign investment pressure in Ethiopia’s natural forests
(Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2011)Foreign investment in Ethiopia’s forestry sector is currently limited, but agricultural investments that affect forests — largely through forest clearing — are commonplace. We describe the nature of forest investments ...