Browsing Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) by Title
Now showing items 1-20 of 82
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Accumulation and differentiation: the dynamics of change in the large-scale commercial farming sector of South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2015)The general image of large-scale commercial farming in South Africa is one of technological dynamism and international competitiveness. However, such a generalisation obscures considerable differentiation in terms of size, ... -
Agrarian change and the fate of farmworkers : trajectories of strategic partnership and farm labour in Levubu Valley, South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2015)This thesis examines the trajectories of agrarian change on community-owned commercial farms in the Levubu Valley in the northern part of Limpopo Province, South Africa. Levubu is a locality where fertile land was developed ... -
An Agrarian History of the Mwenezi District, Zimbabwe, 1980-2004
(University of the Western Cape, 2007)The thesis examines continuity and change in the agrarian history of the Mwenezi District, southern Zimbabwe since 1980. It analyses agrarian reforms, agrarian practices and development initiatives in the district and ... -
Agricultural extension and commercialisation in rural Malawi: implications for livelihoods, class and gender differentiation
(University of the Western Cape, 2023)This doctoral research aims at understanding the relationships between agricultural extension, commercialisation, and social differentiation and their implications for livelihoods in rural Malawi. The research addresses a ... -
Agricultural investments in the communal areas of the Eastern Cape: The impacts of joint ventures on livelihoods and land rights
(University of the Western Cape, 2018)A major and unresolved challenge facing South Africa’s post-apartheid government, is how best to overcome the historical injustices of land dispossession and the resultant poverty now found in the communal areas of the ... -
Analysis of government compliance in the provision of water and sanitation to rural communities: a case study of Lepelle Nkumpi local municipality, Limpopo province
(University of Western Cape, 2020)A persistent challenge facing especially post-apartheid South African rural municipalities is service delivery compliance. Under the guise of scarcity, rural municipalities repeatedly do not comply with legislation, ... -
Assessing the role played by informal traders within the snoek value chain in selected townships in Cape Town, South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2014)In the Western Cape, snoek (Thyrsites atun) is a target for small scale fisheries. This fishery is comprised of recreational, subsistence and traditional line fisheries in the province. Snoek contributes 40% to 50% of the ... -
Assessment of the type, extent and modalities of intra-regional fish trade: A case of South Africa and other Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries
(University of the Western Cape, 2017)This study assessed the type, extent and modalities of intra-regional fish trade between South Africa and other SADC countries. Cross-border fish trade and its importance in boosting intra-regional fish trade between ... -
Capacity building for the integration of environmental planning into land reform: an assessment of a national programme
(UWC, 2008)In 1994 the South African government embarked on a land reform programme to redistribute and return land to previously deprived and displaced communities and individuals. Concerns have, however, been raised about the impact ... -
A case study of Fairtrade labelling and worker empowerment on two wine and fruit farms in the Western Cape
(University of the Western Cape, 2008)This thesis explores the link between Fairtrade labelling and worker empowerment in the cases of LFFT and Stellar Organics in terms of: the reasons for becoming certified and commercial benefits expected from the Fairtrade ... -
Cattle, commercialisation and land reform: dynamics of social reproduction and accumulation in Besters, KwaZulu-Natal
(University of the Western Cape, 2014)The thesis examines the processes of social differentiation amongst households living on farms transferred through South African land reform, and the degree to which the ‘commercialisation’ of the cattle economy accounts ... -
The challenge of sustainable land-based local economic development in poor communities of South Africa: The case of Groblersdal, Northern Cape
(University of the Western Cape, 2004)This research investigated whether local economic development interventions necessarily improve the livelihoods of poor communities. More specifically, the goal of this thesis was to explore some of the reasons why land-based ... -
Changing labor, land and social relations on commercial farms: a case study from Limpopo, South Africa
(2008)Over the past fifteen years, the South African government has extended various land, labour and social rights to farm workers, ranging from provisions of basic labour rights in 1993 to the minimum wage in 2003. Literature ... -
Communal land reform in Zambia: governance, livelihood and conservation
(University of the Western Cape, 2006)Communal land tenure reform in Zambia is the overarching subject of study in this thesis. It is an important issue across southern Africa, raising questions of governance, livelihood security and conservation. WIldlife is ... -
A Comparative Study of Rural Water Governance in the Limpopo Basin
(University of the Western Cape, 2011)In this thesis I examine and explore whether and if Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) inspired water reforms respond to- and address the diverse realities of women and men in informal (and formal) rural economies ... -
The comprehensive rural development programme as a vehicle for enhancing stakeholder participation in rural governance: a case study of Dysselsdorp in the Western Cape Province, South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2014)The thesis seeks to investigate the extent to which the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) has succeeded in creating a platform for rural people, including marginalised groups, to be effectively involved in ... -
The contribution of communal rangelands to rural people's livelihoods in the Maluti district
(University of Western Cape, 2001)The contribution of common property resources to rural people's livelihoods is enormous, yet policy makers overlook it. Wild resources, grazing resources and trees provide an important buffer for most rural households. ... -
Crafting a livelihood: local-level trade in mats and baskets in Pondoland, South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2004)This study explored the dynamics of local-level trade in plant-based mats and baskets in Khanyayo village, Eastern Cape. These dynamics include social aspects of harvesting, resource tenure and trade. It also includes ... -
Devolution and democratisation: policy processes and community-based natural resource management in Southern Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2009)By presenting case studies from the village of Mahenye in Zimbabwe and the five villages of the Okavango Community Trust in Botswana, the study looks beyond the objectives, discourse and contests of policy and undertakes ... -
Food provision challenges facing early childhood development centres in two Cape Town townships
(University of Western Cape, 2020)Early childhood has been identified as a critical period for providing nutritional intervention, with nutritional adequacy during the first 1000 days having long term implications for human development. South Africa’s ...