Socio-economic benefits of agricultural projects to surrounding communities: the case of Qamata Irrigation Scheme in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Masela, Zandile
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agriculture -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Irrigation farming -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/4716 , vital:28501
- Description: The Qamata Irrigation Scheme (QIS) is one of the largest irrigation schemes in South Africa. Despite substantial state investment, community members have only derived limited benefits from the scheme, leading the government efforts to revitalize the scheme. Many studies have been conducted about QIS but none of them have analyzed the effects of the QIS on the surrounding communities. This study investigated the socio-economic benefits of QIS to surrounding communities. For the purposes of this study, the units of analysis were the surrounding household members, questionnaires were used to collect data. Probabilistic sampling of random sampling method was used to select the villages; respondents’ were availability selected with sample size of 197 households. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from the participants. To analyse data, descriptive statistics and multinomial logit regression model were used. The study found out that female-headed households constitute 63.45 percent compared to male-headed households at 36.55 percent. The average age of the households in the villages that are within the radius of 10km is 58 years, while it is 59 years in villages that are beyond the 10km radius. In villages within the radius of 10km, 86.08 percent of respondents are unemployed, 5.70 percent are employed at the scheme and 8.23 percent are self-employed. In villages beyond 10km, 84.62 percent of respondents are unemployed, 5.13 percent are employed at the scheme and 10.26 percent are self-employed. In both villages, 71 percent of respondents reported that that they do not get feed supply from the scheme while 29 percent of respondents reported that they get feed supply from the scheme. From the overall distribution of villages within and beyond the radius of 10km, 80 percent of respondents reported that they do not get job opportunities from the QIS while 20 percent of respondents reported that they get job opportunities from the QIS. The study shows that 53 percent of respondents from villages within the radius of 10km are low-benefitting, 33 percent of respondents are intermediate-benefitting and 14 percent of respondents are high-benefitting from the scheme, while in villages beyond the radius of 10km, 97 percent of respondents are low-benefitting, 3 percent of respondents are intermediate-benefitting and none of the respondents is high-benefitting from the scheme. Furthermore, the study, through the multinomial logit regression model, shows that gender for intermediate benefitting has a negative coefficient (-1.70) and shows a significance of 10 percent On the other hand, gender for high benefitting has a positive coefficient (2.57) and shows a significance of 1 percent. Distance from the scheme has a negative coefficient (-3.08) and shows a significance of 1 percent. Access to farmland has a positive coefficient (2.33) and shows a significance of 10 percent. The study recommends that surrounding communities should own home gardens so that they can grow fresh produce and create job opportunities. The surrounding communities are also encouraged to own more farmlands or produce their own crops so they can also learn from the skills of the scheme.
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- Date Issued: 2017
The contribution of agriculture to rural development in Mbashe Municipality
- Authors: Malusi, Phaphama Paul
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Agriculture -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agriculture and state -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18123 , vital:28578
- Description: Despite the decreasing contribution of agriculture to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in South Africa, agricultural activities are critical in the development of rural households. These activities are an important route through which these rural communities can reduce poverty. This is mainly because agriculture has been the main source of income and employment in rural areas in South Africa and other less developed countries (LDC). However, it has not generated sufficient income to sustain rural households. Rural areas are characterised by factors such as low socio-economic conditions, low standards of living, lack of access to markets and inadequate infrastructure that does not create an enabling environment for private sector involvement. The private sector is not actively involved or engaged in rural development. Rural development involves improvement in the economic security of people in rural areas. It is poor households that look for employment in agriculture. The poor are portrayed in terms of qualifications, employment, access to resources, basic health services, skills possessed, self- sustaining activities, and income and expenditure patterns. Many individuals in rural areas are pushed into non-agricultural activities due to lack of opportunities in agricultural activities. Lack of opportunities in agriculture can be caused by subsistence agriculture in small holdings of land and lack of appropriate skills sets for certain agricultural activities. Ultimately, it is poor individuals who increase their dependence on agriculture. The primary objective of this research was to obtain a better understanding of the contribution of agriculture in rural development in the Mbhashe Local Municipality (MLM). Furthermore, the necessary conditions required to sustain livelihoods in the rural areas were identified. This was mainly done in an attempt to improve the quality of life in the rural areas. The study was based on three objectives. The first objective was to identify the constraints to agricultural activities in the Mbashe Local Municipality; the second was to investigate the plight of rural people in the Mbhashe Local Municipality. Lastly, the third objective was to investigate the contribution of agriculture in rural development in the study area. The main finding with regards to the first objective is that facors such as lack of infrastructure, low socio-economic conditions, lack of appropriate skills and lack of opportunities in agriculture are some of the constraints to agricultural activities. Investments in basic infrastructure need to be significant so that funds can flow into the rural areas to be invested in livelihood activities in order to create more employment opportunities. With regard to the second objective, the main finding is that rural people need to be empowered through increased knowledge and skills. This involves improving literacy and skills training, because the outcome of this training is that they are able to stand on their own feet and provide for their families. The main finding with regard to the third objective is that rural areas, by nature, are not easy to service but have indigenous knowledge that can be used in agriculture. However, the government must support them with the necessary infrastructure. Agriculture has been a major source of income and employment in the Mbashe Municipality.
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- Date Issued: 2017