The Effect of the Recapitalisation and Development Programme on Agricultural Production of Land Reform Beneficiaries in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

W.T. Shiba; M. Aliber

doi:10.17159/2413-3221/2023/v51n2a13235

Authors

W.T. Shiba
M. Aliber

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17159/2413-3221/2023/v51n2a13235

Keywords:

RECAP, Land reform, Eastern Cape, agricultural production, technical skills

Abstract

Access to land is a key part of socio-economic development in South Africa. It can be used as a way of rectifying the injustices of the past and lessening the severity of poverty among beneficiaries. To address the issue of land reform, the Recapitalisation and Development Programme (RECAP) was introduced in 2009. The main objectives of this programme are to increase production, guarantee food security, create employment opportunities within the agricultural sector, and graduate small farmers into commercial farmers. This study aimed to analyse the impact of RECAP on land reform projects, focusing on agricultural production in the Eastern Cape. Both primary and secondary data were used in the study, collected through farm/project visits. The results indicated that the programme has made progress towards improving agricultural production on land reform projects since its inception of RECAP. Through RECAP intervention, land reform beneficiaries gained technical skills.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS (ANC)., 1992. Ready to Govern: ANC policy guidelines for a democratic South Africa. Johannesburg: Policy Unit of the African National Congress.

AIDOO, R., MENSAH, J.O. & TUFFOUR, T., 2013. Determinants of household food security in the Sekyere Afram Plains District of Ghana. Paper presented to the First Annual International Interdisciplinary Conference, 24-26 April, Azores, Portugal.

ANSEEUW, W. & MATHEBULA, N., 2008. Land reform and development: Evaluating South Africa’s Restitution and Redistribution Programmes. Kellogg’s Foundation Research Paper No 2008/1. Pretoria: University of Pretoria.

BESLEY, T. & BURGESS, R., 2000. Land reform, poverty reduction, and growth: Evidence from India. Q. J. Econ., 115(2): 389-430. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1162/003355300554809

BORRAS, S., SATURNINO, M. & McKINLEY, T., 2006. The unresolved land reform debate: Beyond state-led or market-led models. Policy Research Brief No. 2. International Poverty Centre. United Nations Development Programme.

BOUDREAUX, K., 2010. Land reform as social justice. IEA., 30(1): 13-20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0270.2009.01967.x

BUSINESS ENTERPRISES., 2013. Implementation evaluation of the Recapitalisation and Development Programme (from inception in 2010 to 2012). Pretoria: Presidency, Republic of South Africa.

COUSINS, B., 2013. Land redistribution, populism and elite capture: New land reform policy proposal under microscope. J. Helen Suzman Found., 70: 11-19.

DATAR, A., STURM, R. & MAGNABOSCO J.L., 2004. Childhood overweight and academic performance: National study of kindergartners and first-graders. Obes. Res., 12: 58-68. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2004.9

DEPARTMENT OF LAND AFFAIRS (DLA)., 1997. White Paper on South African Land Policy. Department of Land Affairs.

DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM (DRDLR)., 2009. The Comprehensive Rural Development Programme Framework. Pretoria, South Africa: DRDLR.

DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM (DRDLR)., 2010. Annual report 2009/10. Pretoria, South Africa: DRDLR.

DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM (DRDLR)., 2015. RADP grant and skills development schedule of standard terms and conditions: Mentorship arrangement. Pretoria, South Africa: DRDLR.

DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM (DRDLR)., 2011(a). Policy Framework for Recapitalisation and Development Programme of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. Pretoria, South Africa: DRDLR.

DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM (DRDLR)., 2012(b). Mid-term review of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. Pretoria, South Africa: DRDLR.

DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM (DRDLR)., 2013(b). Unpublished documents. Pretoria.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANISATION (FAO)., 2008. FAO STAT Online Statistics Service. Rome: FAO.

GORDONCILLO, P., ESCUETA, E., PENALBA, L. & JAVIER F., 2003. An assessment of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program and its impact on rural communities: A household (MICRO) perspective. Quezon City: Department of Agrarian Reform.

LIM, J. & ANTHONY, Y., 2003. An integration of the first round of carp impact assessment studies, in CARP impact assessment studies. Quezon City: Department of Agrarian Reform.

MABUZA, N.N., 2016. Socio-economic impact of land reform projects benefiting from the Recapitalisation and Development Programme in South Africa. Masters dissertation, Unviersity of Pretoria.

MAFORA, M., 2014. Socio-economic analysis of land reform projects at Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality in the Limpopo Province of South Africa: Comparing the degree of contribution to food security. Masters dissertation, University of South Africa.

THIESENHUSEN, W.C., 1989. Searching for agrarian reform in Latin America. Boston: Unwin Hyman.

THOMAS, G.S. & VAN DEN BRINK, R., 2006. Land Redistribution in South Africa: Towards accelerated implementation. Paper presented at the International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development, 6-10 March, Porto Alegre, Brazil.

VAN ZYL, J., KIRSTEN, J. & BINSWANGER, H.P., 1996. Agricultural land reform in South Africa. Cape Town: Oxford University Press.