Changing livelihoods and land reform: Evidence from the Northern Cape province of South Africa

Performance of land reform projects in the North West province of South Africa: Changes over time and possible causes

“…Firstly, the speed of land redistribution is slower than intended. Secondly, land reform projects are failing to deliver on the promises of sustainable agricultural production for the generation of income, employment, food security, poverty alleviation and rural development (Hall, 2003;Bradstock, 2005;Kirsten and Machethe, 2005;Lahiff et al, 2012). However, it is difficult to track the progress of land reform over time and thus contribute to the larger debate on land reform issues regarding the optimal design of a land reform programme.…”

“…The few studies that we know of are only once-off in nature, with no follow-up visits (e.g. Bradstock, 2005;AgriAfrica, 2005;Lahiff & Cousins, 2005). Consequently, the results of these studies are biased due to the once-off nature of the investigations.…”

Integration Challenges of Water and Land Reform – A Critical Review of South Africa

“…Various studies have shown that beneficiaries experience severe problems accessing services such as credit, training, extension advice, transport and ploughing services, veterinary services, and access to input and produce markets (HSRC 2003;Hall 2004;Bradstock 2005;Lahiff 2007). Other challenges include the types of beneficiaries accessing the programme, drawn out transfer periods, lack of transparency and possible illegitimate activities of local government institutions, the often inappropriate models of land-use being imposed on beneficiaries, the general failure of post-settlement support and, ultimately, the generally disappointing performance of land reform projects (Aliber and Mokoena, 2000;CASE, 2006).…”

Decentralization, Pro-Poor Land Policies, and Democratic Governance

“…In Zimbabwe, for example, initial land reform efforts included state support for the new farmers and their welfare improved, but as the support decreased, the livelihoods of resettled households shifted back to resemble other farmers in communal areas who had not benefited from land reform (Chimowu and Hulme, 2006). Similarly in Northern Cape province of South Africa, poor technical support and the risky nature of agriculture led to the land reforms having limited impact on reducing poverty (Bradstock, 2005).…”