Research Reports
Up one levelResearch Report 43: Imithetho yomhlaba yaseMsinga: The living law of land in Msinga District, KwaZulu-Natal
This report describes the ‘living law’ of land in one part of Msinga, a deep rural area of KwaZulu-Natal. It presents research findings from the Mchunu and Mthembu tribal areas, where a three-year action-research project was carried out by staff of the Mdukutshani Rural Development Programme1. Launched in 2007, at a time when implementation of the Communal Land Rights Act of 2004 (CLRA). appeared imminent, the project aimed to gain a detailed understanding of land tenure in Msinga, facilitate local-level discussion of potential solutions to emerging problems around land rights, provide information on the CLRA to residents and authority structures and help generate ideas on how local people could engage with the new law.
Contesting the food system in South Africa: Issues and opportunities - Research Report 42
Overall, none of the practical activities that seek to transform agro-food systems engage with the idea of value chain governance, or currently perceive it as a useful entry point into transformation. This may be because it is not an issue presently confronting them and their constituencies. Some corporations, especially in retail, may be trying to improve certain aspects of governance. This is generally being considered as part of their ongoing pursuit to improve efficiencies, thus creating added value which they will seek to secure for themselves as far as possible. It thus appears that there are no social forces currently capable of and willing to transform agro-food systems by engaging with their forms of governance.
Research Report 41: Strategies to support South African smallholders as a contribution to government’s second economy strategy Volume 2: Case Studies
Volume 2 contains the accounts of the 16 case studies that comprised the main ‘data’ for the analysis presented in Volume 1. These case studies are a rich and diverse repository of descriptive and interpretive narratives depicting various types of smallholders in diverse circumstances and environments.
Research Report 41: Strategies to support South African smallholders as a contribution to government’s second economy strategy Volume 1: Situation analysis, fieldwork findings and main conclusions
The study seeks to identify the key elements of an implementable programme to support the smallholder sector. The core of the exercise entailed identifying successful South African smallholders active in different settings, and examining the factors that contribute to their success.
Status report on land and agricultural policy in South Africa, 2010 - Research Report 40 (RR40)
Status report on land and agricultural policy in South Africa, 2010. Stephen Greenberg. Research Report 40 (RR40)
Mainstreaming of HIV and Aids into South African Fisheries Policy - Research Report 39 (RR39)
Mainstreaming of HIV and Aids into South African Fisheries Policy. Moenieba Isaacs and Mafaniso Hara. Research Report 39 (RR39)
Land Reform in South Africa: A status report 2008 - Research Report 38 (RR38)
Land Reform in South Africa: A status report 2008. Edward Lahiff. Research Report 38 (RR38)
Covie community land claim - Research Report 35 (RR35)
Covie community land claim. Karin Kleinbooi and Edward Lahiff. Research Report 35 (RR35)
Schmidtsdrift community land claim - Research Report 34 (RR34)
Schmidtsdrift community land claim. Karin Kleinbooi. Research Report 34 (RR34)
eMpangisweni community trust claim - Research Report 33 (RR33)
Title: eMpangisweni community trust claim. Susan Tilley. Research Report 33 (RR33)
The impact of land restitution and land reform on livelihoods - Research Report 32 (RR32)
Title: The impact of land restitution and land reform on livelihoods. Ruth Hall. Research Report 32 (RR32)
Bjatladi community restitution claim - Research Report 31 (RR31)
Title: Bjatladi community restitution claim. Susan Tilley and Edward Lahiff. Research Report 31 (RR31)
Restitution and post-settlement support: Three case studies from Limpopo - Research Report 30 (RR30)
Title: Restitution and post-settlement support: Three case studies from Limpopo. Tshililo Manenzhe and Edward Lahiff. Research Report 30 (RR30)
Groenfontein-Ramohlakane community restitution claim - Research Report 29 (RR29)
Title: Groenfontein-Ramohlakane community restitution claim. Susan Tilley, Ntombizabantu Nkazane and Edward Lahiff. Research Report 29 (RR29)
Bakwena ba Mare a Phogole (Klipgat) community restitution claim - Research Report 28 (RR28)
Title: Bakwena ba Mare a Phogole (Klipgat) community restitution claim. Susan Tilley and Ntombizabantu Nkazane. Research Report 28 (RR28)
Business models in land reform - Research Report 27 (RR27)
Title: Business models in land reform. Edward Lahiff. Research Report 27 (RR27)
International comparative study of strategies for settlement support provision to land reform beneficiaries - Research Report 26 (RR26)
International comparative study of strategies for settlement support provision to land reform beneficiaries. Susan Tilley. Research Report 26 (RR26).
Trans-boundary natural resources management in southern Africa: Local historical and livelihood realities within the Great Limpopo Trans-frontier Conservation Area - Research Report 25 (RR25)
Title: Trans-boundary natural resources management in southern Africa: Local historical and livelihood realities within the Great Limpopo Trans-frontier Conservation Area. Research Report 25 (RR25)
Community-based natural resource management in the southern Africa region: An annotated bibliography and general overview of literature, 1996–2004 - Research Report 24 (RR24)
Community-based natural resource management in the southern Africa region: An annotated bibliography and general overview of literature, 1996–2004. Cape Town. Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS). Research Report 24 (RR24)
Land and agrarian reform in integrated development plans (IDPs): Report prepared for GTZ in collaboration with the Department of Provincial and Local Government - Research Report 23 (RR23)
Land and agrarian reform in integrated development plans (IDPs): Report prepared for GTZ in collaboration with the Department of Provincial and Local Government. Research Report no. 23. (RR23)
Livelihoods and sharing: Trends in a Lesotho village 1976-2004. Cape Town: In 1976-77, Stephen Turner researched livelihoods and farming in Ha Tumahole village - Research Report 22 (RR22)
Livelihoods and sharing: Trends in a Lesotho village 1976-2004. Cape Town: In 1976-77, Stephen Turner researched livelihoods and farming in Ha Tumahole village. In 2004 he returned to see what had changed. (Research report; no. 22.) (RR22)
Joint ventures and livelihoods in emerging small-scale irrigation schemes in Greater Sekhukhune District: Perspectives from Hereford - Research Report 21 (RR21)
Joint ventures and livelihoods in emerging small-scale irrigation schemes in Greater Sekhukhune District: Perspectives from Hereford. Cape Town: Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape. (Research report; no. 21.) RR21
Land and agrarian reform in South Africa: A status report - Research Report 20 (RR20)
Land and agrarian reform in South Africa: A status report 2004. Cape Town: Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape. (Research report; no. 20.) (RR20)
A critical appraisal of South Africa's market-based land reform policy: The case of the Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development (LRAD) programme in Limpopo - Research Report 19 (RR19)
A critical appraisal of South Africa's market-based land reform policy: The case of the Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development (LRAD) programme in Limpopo. Cape Town: Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape. (Research report; no. 19.) (RR19)
Municipal commonage as a form of land redistribution: A case study of the new farms of Leliefontein, a communal reserve in Namaqualand, South Africa - Research Report 18 (RR18)
Municipal commonage as a form of land redistribution: A case study of the new farms of Leliefontein, a communal reserve in Namaqualand, South Africa. Cape Town: Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape. (Research report; no. 18.) (RR18)
Hanging on a wire: A historical and socio-economic study of Paulshoek village in the communal area of Leliefontein, Namaqualand - Research Report 17 (RR17)
Hanging on a wire: A historical and socio-economic study of Paulshoek village in the communal area of Leliefontein, Namaqualand. Cape Town: Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape. (Research report; no. 17.) (RR17)
The externalisation and casualisation of farm labour in Western Cape horticulture - Research Report 16 (RR16)
The externalisation and casualisation of farm labour in Western Cape horticulture. Cape Town: Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape. (Research report; no. 16.) (RR16)
Community views on the Communal Land Rights Bill - Research Report 15 (RR15)
Community views on the Communal Land Rights Bill. Cape Town: Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape. (Research report; no. 15.) (RR15)
Land reform and sustainable livelihoods in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province - Research Report 14 (RR14)
Land reform and sustainable livelihoods in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province. Cape Town: Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape. (Research report; no. 14.) (RR14)
Valuing the commons: Rural livelihoods and communal rangeland resources in the Maluti District, Eastern Cape - Research Report 13 (RR13)
Valuing the commons: Rural livelihoods and communal rangeland resources in the Maluti District, Eastern Cape. Cape Town: Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape. (Research report; no. 13.) (RR13)
Land and agrarian reform in South Africa: A status report - Research Report 12 (RR12)
Land and agrarian reform in South Africa: A status report, 2002. Cape Town: Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape. (Research report; no. 12.) (RR12)
Community-based natural resources management: Experiences and lessons linking communities to sustainable resource use in different social, economic and ecological conditions in South Africa - Research Report 11 (RR11)
Community-based natural resources management: Experiences and lessons linking communities to sustainable resource use in different social, economic and ecological conditions in South Africa. Cape Town: Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape. (Research report; no. 11.) (RR11)
Cattle ownership and production in the communal areas of the Eastern Cape, South Africa- Research Report 10 (RR10)
Cattle ownership and production in the communal areas of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Cape Town: Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape. (Research report; no. 10.) (RR10)
‘It is not easy to challenge a chief’: Lessons from Rakgwadi - Research Report 9 (RR09)
‘It is not easy to challenge a chief’: Lessons from Rakgwadi. Cape Town: Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape. (Research report; no. 9) (RR09)
Waking up from the dream: The pitfalls of ‘fast track’ development on the Wild Coast of South Africa - Research Report 08 (RR08)
Waking up from the dream: The pitfalls of ‘fast track’ development on the Wild Coast of South Africa. Cape Town: Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape. (Research report; no. 8) (RR08)
(RR05/1) Land reform, sustainable rural livelihoods and gender relations: A case study of Gallawater A farm - Research Report 5 v. 1 (RR05/1)
Land reform, sustainable rural livelihoods and gender relations: A case study of Gallawater A farm. Cape Town: Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape. (Research report; no. 5, vol. 1.) (RR05/1)
Environmental entitlements in Mkambati: Livelihoods, social institutions and environmental change on the Wild Coast of the Eastern Cape - Research Report 1 (RR01)
Environmental entitlements in Mkambati: Livelihoods, social institutions and environmental change on the Wild Coast of the Eastern Cape. Cape Town: Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape. (Research report; no. 1.) (RR01)
Executive Summary Emerging Rooibos Farmer Market Access Project
Global markets increasingly require rapid and coordinated response to standards and certification. Yet despite broad political transformations in post‐Apartheid South Africa, structural power relations limit emerging farmer capacity to effectively access certified markets such as fairtrade and organic. Within the Rooibos commodity network, inequitable functioning has prevented emerging farmers from fully developing critical market‐access skills and resources. While diverse groups have collaborated to achieve mutual interests, the cooperative building process has been marked by conflict.
Bottom-up Engagement in Policy-Making Affecting Rural Areas: The State of Rural Civil Society