Chapter 2: Key concepts of the study
3.10 Conclusions: the relevance of the theories to this study
The first thing that must be picked up from these theories is the debate around the most appropriate property models. They present different views, where the evolutionary theory argues that communal tenure is a constraint to development as it leads to mismanagement of resources due to its failure to respond to the pressure of population growth. In contrast, the land and agrarian theory argues that communal tenure is appropriate as it presents opportunities for development and is the most cost effective way of titling.
The debate about the relationship between security of tenure and poverty reduction is also important because it draws out the complexity of the relationship. At face value, it appears that the secure tenure automatically resolves poverty, but according to the literature,this is not the case.
The common factor among these theorists is that they all agree that land reform is a step towards a right direction if poverty is to be alleviated. However the land and agrarian theorists are quick to point to the fact that land reform, whether through redistribution, restitution, or though tenure reform, is inadequate and will not succeed in the fight against poverty on its own. Instead it needs some enabling factors if land reform is to achieve its desired outcomes .
The land and agrarian theorists view land reform as presenting opportunities for agrarian reform in South Africa. They view land reform, particularly the land redistribution for agricultural development programme, as very significant, especially considering the rural character of this country,where most of the rural population depends on "agriculture for subsistence", (Cousins, 2000). It is expected that land reform will provide rural communities with an opportunity to use and invest in their land with confidence. However they are quick to state that the program on its own is inadequate in the fight against poverty. They therefore elaborate about the complimentary inputs that must accompany the land reform program
The relevance of the debate by evolutionary theory of land rights is that they focus on the debate about the most appropriate form of property model,whereas the land and agrarian theorists concentrate on exploring the opportunities that are available due to changes in the policies and the land reform program.
The land and agrarian reformists also point to the need to bridge the gap between the small and big farmers. They feel that the bigger farmers get preferential treatment compared to their small farmers and new entrants farmers.
They suggest that dealing with this issue, will go a long way towards poverty alleviation, as they contend that small farmers generate more employment opportunities than large-scale farmers, and that makes them investment worthy.
The land and agrarian theorists also explore the advantages and disadvantages of the market driven approach. They compliment this approach taken by the South African government in its effort to redistribute land, but they also suggest how it could be made better.
The South African land redistribution program is also discussed. Problems posed by the implementation of the recently revised LRAD program, especially for the
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rural communities who still want to access land, have been discussed in this chapter.
Chapter Four: Onbekend: before and after the land redistribution project.
4.1. Introduction.
The purpose of this chapter is to present the research findings. It will start by introducing the case study area and providing background information about the study area and beneficiary community (4.2). The findings are divided into two sections. The first section (4.3), deals with the period before 1997, before the attainment of the title deeds by the Onbekend community members. Section (4.4), gives background information about the Onbekend land redistribution project and the community, while 4.5 presents the post-1997 findings. Section 4.6 draws conclusions. The importance of looking at the era before 1997 is that this period will be used as a barometer to gauge the contribution made by the land redistribution project in improving the quality of lives of the beneficiaries. It will also be used to assess the extent to which the project has contributed towards poverty alleviation, as well as improving security of tenure. It should also be borne in mind that the findings presented in this chapter intend to answer three important questions,which are to what extent the land redistribution project has improved security of tenure, contributed to the alleviation of poverty and improved the quality of life of the beneficiaries?
4.2 The study area and beneficiary community.
The study area is located at Mpumalanga province near a small town called Carolina, which is three kilometers from the Association's farm. The Onbekend farm falls under the Eastvaal District Council. The study area is situated to the South of Nelspruit town, which is the province's capital (See Map 1). The farm that was acquired by the Onbekend Communal Property Association is Droogvallei 41 IT, which measures approximately 398 hectares and it can-be reached from the Carolina and Chrissiesmeer tar road that runs through the farm.
The farm will be used for both settlement and agricultural purposes.(See map 2) ,
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