An investigation of the informal market value chain for prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) in Nelson Mandela Bay, Eastern Cape

Ntsonge, Sinazo

Title: An investigation of the informal market value chain for prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) in Nelson Mandela Bay, Eastern Cape
Creator: Ntsonge, Sinazo
Subject: Opuntia ficus-indica -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
Subject: Alien plants -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
Subject: Women heads of households -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
Subject: Poor -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
Subject: Informal sector (Economics) -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
Subject: Sustainable Livelihoods Framework
Date Issued: 2018
Date: 2018
Type: text
Type: Thesis
Type: Masters
Type: MSc
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62894
Identifier: vital:28308
Description: The use of alien plant species as part of the livelihood resources of poor people raises conflicts with national legislation, which views these plants as threats to native plant biodiversity. However, there is also increasing body of literature on the contribution that some of these plants make to the livelihoods of poor people. The level of significance of some alien plant species to livelihoods is mostly highlighted in the case of female market participants who are in a position of household headship. Since most African cultures dictate the role of females as solely being that of homemaker while males are assigned the role household headship and breadwinner, women often find themselves having to shoulder the household responsibilities when the household head is no longer there. This was the case in the Nelson Mandela Bay informal prickly pear market that this study sought to investigate. Even though there were also male participants in the prickly pear market, the majority of participants in the market were female who also mentioned they were the sole breadwinner for their households. This study investigated the economic contribution that the prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) informal market makes to the livelihoods of people living in the Nelson Mandela Bay. The significance of the market’s contribution to their livelihoods was examined through using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework. The study revealed that although the prickly pear income was largely supplementary due to it being available for only three months of the year, the income was a safety net resource for the market participants who had limited access to other sources of income. The results also highlighted the reasons people were engaging in the informal prickly pear market. The main reason that was mentioned was unemployment. Through a livelihoods analysis using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, it was revealed that the other factors that were contributing to their unemployment were low levels of education, low levels of marketable skills, and old age. The study revealed through calculations of the estimated economic value of each market activity the potential of the prickly pear to be used as a poverty fighting tool. Although the results of this study only highlight the economic value of the prickly pear to people in a small area compared to the rest of the province and the country, the informal market’s significance still presents a strong case for the establishment of an agroprocessing industry, which would support the production of value-added products. Since the largest populations of the prickly pear in Uitenhage are currently under effective control by the cochineal species, promotion of its economic value instead of eradicating it without considering its value to the livelihoods of the people in the market could also ensure that its populations are kept under control. Job creation in the agroprocessing industry would not only improve the livelihoods of those involved in the market, but would also feed into the national economy instead of taking from it via the costs incurred during clearing.
Format: 163 pages
Format: pdf
Publisher: Rhodes University
Publisher: Faculty of Commerce, Economics and Economic History
Language: English
Rights: Ntsonge, Sinazo

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