Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / This study focuses on women's perceptions of land rights in the communal areas of Namaqualand in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Here women farm land which they can access only through their relationships with male kin. Women's use rights are dependent on their relationships with fathers, husbands and sons; and it is virtually impossible for women to obtain land in their own names. Women's own views of rights, of access, of control and authority over land display a significant gender bias in favour of men. This study explores women's understandings and perceptions of land rights and agriculture and other forms of land use. The objectives of the study are to explore the links between patriarchal social systems and women's conservative attitudes towards holding land; and to show how current policy processes and legislation – aimed at strengthening the rights of existing landholders in communal areas – allow local customs to continue to entrench gender discriminatory practices. A small study was conducted through in-depth interviews with sixty-five women and two focus group discussions with women in Namaqualand. The scope of the study was limited to exploring the nature of women's land rights in five of the communal areas of Namaqualand; formal and informal "rules" around women's land rights; women's practices of asserting or realising land rights; challenges and opportunities that women experience in claiming their land rights; the views and understandings of women in relation to land use and its contribution to livelihoods; and how women understand the impact of current land reform policies on their access to land. For the purpose of this thesis, literature on land tenure, gender and land rights as well as on the history of the former Coloured rural reserves of Namaqualand was considered. The key findings of the study indicate that women are disadvantaged by historical norms, values and attitudes, which afford them only secondary rights to land. Yet, informal land practices – however limited – show that in some cases women are creating opportunities to gain access to land independently. For this to become the norm rather than an exception, these practices need recognition and support within the on-going land reform transformation process in Namaqualand.

The diploma thesis provides a comprehensive historical analysis of the relation between the state and the Church and the legal norms that are relevant to this issue and tries to interpret individual key provisions. It reveals the intentions of the Republican legislators to cope with Maltese grievances and the Latifunds, the efforts to redistribute large territorial units to smaller farmers and thus to start economic production. The diploma thesis also focuses on the consequences of the first land reform, which in the end did not fully fulfill the original expectations. For this reason, the legislators proceeded to review it, which is also analyzed in the diploma thesis. It also addresses the controversial question of the nature of ecclesiastical property, which in the past was in another position than it would be after the process of straightening relations with churches and religious societies. The thesis seeks to answer the question whether the concept of restitution of ecclesiastical property respects the concept of land reform.

Global change is substantially led by greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions (Ruddiman, 2013). In Brazil, the largest emission rates come from the forestry & land-use change sector, which historically accounts for more than half of Brazil’s emissions (SEEG, 2016a). Within the Legal Amazon, deforestation is the main driver of land-use change (TerraClass, 2014). Furthermore, Amazon-based settlements, established by Brazil’s Land Reform, play an important role in this process, as 28.6% of all Amazon deforestation stemmed from this type of land property in 2016 alone (Azevedo et al, 2016). Even though public policies aim at curbing this source of land-clearing, they often fail to achieve this goal. Hence, this thesis will analyse why policies do not efficiently prevent clear-cutting in Amazon-based settlements. This analysis is done through a multilevel comparison between political priorities and local perceptions on deforestation. The inquiry relies on text analysis to assess the Land Reform as a land-use policy and the Forest Code as a deforestation policy. It further summarizes the impressions of local family farmers collected in the fieldwork. Then it compares both results to understand why policies fail to fully curb deforestation. The main conclusion is that policies fail because they are erratic, they do not sufficiently take into account the social aspects of deforestation and they do not promote resilience in local communities. The geographical scope of the case-study is western Pará state, in which 30.8% of all deforestation occur in Amazon-based settlements (Ibidem). It is in Pará where the case-study takes place, namely the PAS Project carried out by the Amazon Environmental Research Institute. The main contribution of this thesis is to adopt a socio-ecological systems approach to compare policy priorities to local case-study results and to emphasize the interlinkages between income-generation and land-clearing.

There is growing concern in South Africa, especially amongst the rural landless population, regarding the pace and direction of land reform. Some communities have, for five years, been waiting for a decision from government on their land claim, which understandably creates anger, impatience and despair. Some farmers and current land owners have also expressed concern about the slow pace at which the land restitution claims are being processed, saying it hurts the way they conduct business. White farmers claim that the delay in the finalization of the claims against their farms made it impossible for them to spend money on improving their farms, for fear of not being compensated. Land claims have stalled investment in farming, which threatens agricultural production. Farmers also claimed that banks were refusing to give loans to those under claims. There exists a challenge with respect to the perception of land valuation/prices of agricultural properties and, at the same time, there has been dissatisfaction from the point of view of the Land Claims Commissioner that White farmers are demanding more than the true value of land. To date, there has not been any study to indicate a before-and-after situation of land claims, with post transfer service not properly documented. This research report describes the process of rural land claims in the Limpopo Province of South Africa through a case study of Makotopong Communal Property Association (C.P.A) as outlined in the Land Reform Act. The case study focuses on developmental activities and access to agricultural services such as extension and identification of post-settlement services available to the community. An unstructured questionnaire was used to obtain qualitative data from the committee members of the Makotopong CPA, Community members, RLCC project officers and project officers from Nkuzi Development Trust; a Non-governmental organisation assisting land reform beneficiaries. The main findings of the research depict an inherent uniqueness of rural land claims compared to urban claims. This inherent uniqueness of rural claims contributes towards the slow pace of delivery of the restitution process. The period from lodgement to restoration of land rights is slow, thus leading to the deterioration of land because of the uncertain future of the previous owners. The post-settlement services which amongst others include capacity building, integrated project development, integration of various government departments’, institutional arrangements and skills transfer is seldom in place when the land is eventually settled upon. / Dissertation (MInst Agrar)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

This study focuses on the role that land reform policies have played and are continuing to play in promoting women’s sustainable development in South Africa. The Land Reform Policy and its related Programmes which aim to provide equitable access to land have gathered strength after 1994 and intend to promote participation and involvement of women, youth and people with disabilities. To this effect the study has investigated the effectiveness of the Land Reform Policy and the Programmes with specific reference to women beneficiaries. The topic of the thesis refers to the Land Reform Policies as opposed to only one Land Reform Policy (The White Paper on South African Land Policy of 1997) which was introduced with the aim of integrating the then three existing policies which were later renamed programmes; Redistribution, Tenure Reform and Restitution. The Land Redistribution Programme is based on the Provision of Certain Land Rights for Settlement Act, 1993 (Act 126 of 1993) and Section 25 (b) (5) of the Constitution, 1996. The programme provides for the description of land for settlement purposes and financial assistance to people acquiring land for agricultural purposes. The Land Tenure Reform Programme is based on the Upgrading of Land Tenure Rights Act, 1993 (Act 112 of 1993) and Section 25 (b) (6) of the Constitution, 1996. This programme is aimed at availing and providing security of tenure in different ways to its beneficiaries. The Land Restitution Programme has its basis on the Restitution of Land Rights Act, 1994 (Act 22 of 1994) and Section 25 (b) (7) of the Constitution, 1996. The Restitution of Land Rights Act, 1994 (Act 22 of 1994) provides for the restitution of rights in land to those dispossessed of land in terms of racially based policies of the past. This thesis will therefore make reference to the main Land Reform Policy (WPSALP, 1997) and the Redistribution Programme and its sub-programmes. The role of government has been quite critical in the establishment and implementation of the Land Reform Policies. This is fundamental especially because land reform is a national mandate. There is proven necessity that each government sphere must play its role and support each other towards achieving this call. There is potential to achieve beyond what has been achieved to date if all spheres of government and the relevant stakeholders put enough effort into this and land reform is placed centrally in all government spheres. Formal agreements are necessary between the three spheres of government on ensuring that land reform is implemented successfully and benefits its targets beneficiaries. The study revealed that previous policies and legislations purposefully neglected and isolated women as beneficiaries of any developmental initiatives. The study proved that women are still regarded as the main provider of support to their families and yet have little say in land matters. The way in which the inferiority of women was inculcated was evident in the manner in which women were complacent with their lifestyles and ability to still take care of their families irrespective of the lack of resources. The study mainly discusses the White Paper on South African Land Policy of 1997 in isolation of the other policies even though there is strong mentioning of the Constitution, 1996, the land related legislation which the programmes are based on and the RDP document as some of the policies supporting land reform. The other beneficiary categories as mentioned are equally important but the focus herein is on women. The study applied the qualitative research method towards addressing the study focus challenges. A qualitative study is defined as an inquiry process of understanding based on distinct methodological traditions of analysis that explore a social or human problem. The ability of women to own and utilise land is the focus of the study particularly in terms of promoting sustainable development for women. The desired result out of this study is an enquiry on how has the land reform empowered women towards their sustainable development, as well as what has been the process of ensuring that women have equal access to land. The qualitative research types that have been applied are a combination of case studies, literature review and unstructured interviews. An analysis of the relationship between Public Administration and land reform is undertaken by the study. Within the analysis of the relationship between Public Administration and land reform, focus is on the origin of Public Administration and sustainable development’s perspective to Public Administration. The need to maintain a balance between economic development and environmental protection to ensure generational equity is highlighted as critical for sustained livelihoods. The use of natural resources such as land in an environmentally friendly manner will ensure that future generations can utilise land for their livelihoods as well. The enquiry has revealed that there is a lot of literature on the subject of land reform. Further on, through the unstructured interviews and cases used within the study, women have made a success of the land they received even though support to utilise land was not timeously provided by the relevant Department of Agriculture. The level of education, presence of women on farms, the ability to make decisions and knowledge of business concepts contributed to the women’s success. The study revealed that previous policies and legislations purposefully neglected and isolated women as beneficiaries of any developmental initiatives. The study has proven that women were and still are regarded as the main support for their families and yet do not have any say in what happens on land matters. The way in which the inferiority of women was inculcated was evident in the manner in which women were complacent and satisfied with their lifestyles and ability to still take care of their families irrespective of the lack of resources. The study further emphasises the important role of government in the establishment and implementation of the Land Reform Policies. There is proven necessity that each government sphere must play its role and support each other towards achieving this call. There is potential to achieve beyond what has been achieved to date if all spheres of government put enough effort into this and land reform is placed centrally in all government spheres. Cooperation between the three spheres of government and the beneficiaries of land is necessary towards ensuring that land reform is implemented successfully. The thesis proposes that women should not be regarded as recipients of land only but also as contributors towards the government’s land reform. The lack of support that has been observed in the early years of land transfers to women has only delayed success of women but it did not hamper their continuous production on land. Implementation of these Land Reform Policies has supported women towards their sustainable development and improved livelihoods. The study has also revealed that some of the international countries still face challenges towards the inclusiveness of women in land related initiatives and can exchange success cases and learning with the South African models. The systems model that has been proposed by the study is based on the contribution of all the affected stakeholders and not government alone. The Land Reform Programmes have made a difference in people’s lives but there is work that is still necessary in terms of ensuring cooperation, coordination and strategies that indicate the extent to which government can support women. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA) / unrestricted

The purpose of this thesis is to study the conditions that promoted mobilization against established authority. The analysis of rural mobilization distinguishes from among longitudinal and immediate conditions, the mobilization process itself and the role of the state. The concept of articulation of modes of production examines the processes of rural transformation by following the changing nature of land ownership and patron-client relations. The evolving patterns of class opposition and alliance reflected directly the state of articulation of capitalist and pre-capitalist modes of production and the process of class formation in the southern Peruvian highlands over the course of the late eighteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries.

Land degradation is a serious problem in communal district of Alfred Nzo, Eastern Cape in South Africa. The root causes of land degradation and soil erosion differ. The causes of land degradation in Alfred Nzo district communal areas are due to soil erosion by wind, water and poor agricultural practices. Rainfall is one of the most important climatic factor that contributed a lot in land degradation in the Alfred Nzo District. Other main factors contributing to land degradation include: Socio-economic factors related to historical land policies and inappropriate land uses, Poor land use planning, Drought and rainfall variability .Land use and management and sand mining. This study tried to pay more focus on the assessment of government policies which aimed at combating land degradation in South Africa in their nature but the area of focus will be Ntabankulu Local Municipality area in the project called Ematolweni Agricultural Co-operative Project. The reason to focus in this project is because they are currently practising crop production under electrified irrigation system but the main obstacle in this project are the dongas which are seemed to be a serious threat to the project site. During rainy seasons the project site is not easily accessible, that hampers access to market. There is also direct and serious effect of land degradation which is food insecurity which is emanating from loss of biodiversity and ground cover, loss of soil productivity, loss of income, decreased yield, and decline in economic productivity and national development. Lastly it is wisely recommended that to reduce the effect of land degradation in Alfred Nzo enlarge, government should strengthen the intervention programmes and provide more support to the LandCare programme which was the concept introduced in Australian and adopted in South Africa in 2001. This programme is assisting at restoring sustainability and productivity to land and water management in both rural and urban areas. It is holistic in nature, encompassing integrated sustainable natural resource management.

The Land Reform projects are primarily challenged by post-settlement support. They mainly rely on government grants to survive and in some instances, projects have failed due to lack of sufficient post-settlement support. There are many government and private institutions and mandated and private businesses that offer post-settlement support to LRAD beneficiaries. Their impact can only be measured against improvements in the livelihoods of beneficiaries. While land reform has been in existence in SA, the main source of support evidently seems to have been the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) in the form of a government grants. The existence of other sources of post-settlement support cannot be ignored, but the extents to which these support mechanisms are combined have contributed to the improvement of sustainable livelihood of the beneficiaries, as measured through livelihood assets. The main aim of this study is to explore how the LRAD beneficiaries in the Witzenberg Municipality in the Western Cape employ their livelihood strategies. It explores the types of support received by the beneficiaries and how the support has been used. To determine the progress made through the post-settlement support received by the beneficiaries in an attempt to achieve rural livelihoods strategies, the study discusses the status of the farms during the inception and also the current status. Many studies done by role players and academics in the field of land reform mainly explore the monetary benefit and ignore or pay less attention to the livelihood in five capitals. The needs confronting beneficiaries in the form of livelihood strategies are presented in the form of capital; for example, physical, natural, human, social, economic and financial capitals. This paper seeks to establish an understanding of how beneficiaries of land reform achieve their livelihood, given the constraints of post-settlement support to land reform in South Africa.

A Pro-active Land Acquisition Strategy is an aspect of the land reform programme which is aimed at speeding up land acquisition. The distinct feature of this approach is that the State acquires land pro-actively and then identifies beneficiaries who then become leaseholders. In other land reform programmes the land is acquired by the state and transferred to the beneficiaries, who then own the land. The Pro-active Land Acquisition Strategy was approved ‘in principle’ in July 2003, and included Ministerial provisions that an implementation plan be developed prior to the implementation of the strategy in 2006. The Pro-active Land Acquisition Strategy deals with two possible approaches: a needs-based approach and a supply-led approach, but essentially focuses on the State as the lead driver in land redistribution, rather than the current beneficiary-driven redistribution (Pro-active Land Acquisition Strategy, 2006:4). The Department of Land Affairs Pro-active Land Acquisition Strategy implementation plan (2006:4) further outlines the important elements in order to contextualize the Proactive Implementation Framework, and to stress the revision of the plan in terms of the “new trajectory”. The strategy shifts from the principle that there is a need or demand for land. It is not driven by the demand of beneficiaries, but rather state-driven. This means that the State will target proactively land and compare this with the demand for land.

South Africa‟s social, economic and political landscape was shaped by a long and bitter history of land reform and dispossession. It is against this background that the land reform policy was introduced. According to the Department of Land Affairs the objective of land reform was to alleviate poverty and improve the livelihoods of the poor. Since the introduction of the land reform policy in South Africa, there is no empirical evidence that land reform is improving the livelihoods of its beneficiaries and other affected groups such as farm workers. However government focus has been on how much land was redistributed to the previously disadvantaged and dispossessed. The study sought to assess the impact of land reform on the livelihoods of farm workers with specific reference to the Oaks/Willows Citrus farm in Maruleng Local Municipality, Limpopo Province. The study focussed on whether this land reform project achieved its intended objective of improving livelihoods and alleviating poverty. The following groups participated in the study: The farm workers, project committee members, representative of the traditional leader and a representative of the Department of Rural development. The study found that the livelihoods of the farm workers had not improved after the implementation of this land reform project. The study also revealed that government intervention with post settlement support programmes to monitor progress or offer assistance with regard to farm management and extension services, is very important to ensure that land reform projects achieve their intended objective of reducing poverty and improving the livelihoods of the poor.