Trading-off: Rural food security and land rights in South Africa

•South Africa needs a new food security policy that is integrated with its land reform program.•Food security and land reform policies should respect, and be based on, a broader understanding of dynamic land use practices in poor rural areas.•Land deals between semi-private business interests and ru...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Land use policy Vol. 36; pp. 267 - 274
Main Authors: Kepe, Thembela, Tessaro, Danielle
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2014
Elsevier
Subjects:
Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Biological and medical sciences
case studies
Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife
Fallow land
Food industries
Food security
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Government agencies
Human physiology applied to population studies and life conditions. Human ecophysiology
issues and policy
Land
Land reform
land rights
land use planning
Land utilization
livelihood
Medical sciences
Nutritional survey. Food supply and nutritional requirement
people
Poor
rural areas
Smallholder agriculture
South Africa
South Africa
Southern Africa
Africa
South Africa, Eastern Cape
South Africa
Land reform
Fallow land
Food security
Smallholder agriculture
Rural environment
Environmental policy
Land use
Trade
Agriculture
Small farms
Food supply
Farming
ISSN:0264-8377, 1873-5754
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:•South Africa needs a new food security policy that is integrated with its land reform program.•Food security and land reform policies should respect, and be based on, a broader understanding of dynamic land use practices in poor rural areas.•Land deals between semi-private business interests and rural people need a decisive action by the government, to better protect the land rights of the rural poor. In light of the high percentage of poor people in rural areas of South Africa, the post-apartheid government has, among other things, prioritized food security in their policy processes. However, these food security policies stop short of workable strategies for the most difficult situations, particularly in the former reserves (Bantustans). A case study of the Eastern Cape Province reveals that food security managed by government agencies experience difficulties at implementation stage due to land issues. At the heart of the problem is the poor understanding of rural people's land use plans and multiple livelihood strategies. The paper concludes that food security projects in the former Bantustans will continue to suffer unless food security policies are efficiently integrated to those of land reform.
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ISSN:0264-8377
1873-5754
DOI:10.1016/j.landusepol.2013.08.013