Physical, political and local practice factors as barriers to agricultural development: a case of the Kat River valley, South Africa

Mbatha, Cyril N; Antrobus, Geoffrey G

Title: Physical, political and local practice factors as barriers to agricultural development: a case of the Kat River valley, South Africa
Creator: Mbatha, Cyril N
Creator: Antrobus, Geoffrey G
Date Issued: 2011
Date: 2011
Type: text
Type: article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/142947
Identifier: vital:38178
Identifier: DOI: 10.2174/1874923201104010091
Description: The Kat River Valley, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, provided a case study against which propositions of determinants of economic development were tested. Physical location was found to matter in determining the level of development and economic leverage which Middle Kat farmers had compared to those downstream in accordance with Bromley's (1982) proposition. Physical location, however, was not a determining factor for farmers in the Upper Kat River who were the least developed. As predicted by Ostrom (1990), high transaction costs stemming from information asymmetries, selfish interests coupled with poor leadership, an unequal distribution of power and the flouting of formal agreements ensured the demise of a once successful Hacop project in the Upper Kat. Finally, Hirschman's (1960) much earlier line of argument was supported in that the nature of proposed development programmes and the compatibility with community values or ‘self images’ contributed to the lack of success of an externally initiated development effort. The findings and conclusion serve an important lesson to economic researchers and decision makers not to duplicate policies for implementation in all geographical and social contexts on the basis of their success elsewhere.
Format: 13 pages
Format: pdf
Language: English
Relation: Open Geography Journal
Relation: N Mbatha, C. and G Antrobus, G., 2011. Physical, political and local practice factors as barriers to agricultural development: A case of the Kat River valley, South Africa. The Open Geography Journal, 4(1). pp91-103
Relation: Open Geography Journal volume 4 number 1 91 103 January 2011
Rights: Publisher
Rights: Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of The Open Geography Journal Open Access Statement (https://benthamopen.com/TOGEOGJ/home/)

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Mbatha, Cyril Nhlanhla (Prof)

Antrobus, Geoffrey Gordon (Prof Emeritus)

RU Department of Economics and Economic History

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