Forestry and the wood-based sector provide increasing contributions to the national and rural economy development. Tree plantations serve as a business opportunity to secure the livelihood of thousands of small-scale timber producer households in several tropical countries. Given that forest land and the timber production it supports is limited, sustainable management of forest-based resources including timber is required. By integrating the value chain and livelihood analysis framework, this study investigates the value chains and impacts on rural livelihoods of commercial Acacia hybrid timber in central Vietnam. Besides that, scenario analysis is applied with a view to proposing the development pathways of the timber value chains and to providing improved information for developing the plantation policy in Vietnam at large. The empirical analysis employs a case study research design to examine the transition towards higher value uses of timber resources, thereby exploring the performance of woodchip, non-FSC furniture and FSC-certified furniture value chains in Thua Thien Hue province. Furthermore, two production areas named Nam Dong and Phu Loc districts are selected as embedded cases to examine the rural development potentials of Acacia hybrid timber production and commercialization. A mix-method approach, including both qualitative such as review and analysis of secondary data and key informant interviews, and quantitative data collection methods such as producer household surveys are applied to gather primary and secondary data. Diverse qualitative and quantitative analyses including content analysis, value chain analysis, livelihood analysis, and scenario analysis are also utilized corresponding to the specific research objectives. The macro-level analysis reveals the strategic responses of Asian wood-based firms to the global economy, particularly in terms of geographical scope, governance, cooperation, and overall performance. In addition, a literature review points out the potential impacts of Asian timber VCs on the environment and livelihoods. While timber product commercialization generates benefits to the value chain actors, unsustainable forest management leads to diverse negative environmental effects. The findings demonstrate considerable knowledge gaps and call for broader geographic coverage, as well as more transparent and quantitative assessments. To deepen the understanding on timber VCs, further research efforts should scrutinize the origins, functions, operations, and interactions of firms in these chains, and incorporate environmental and social aspects. The meso- and micro-level analysis exposes the structure of Acacia hybrid timber value chains which are shaped by various socio-economic, political, and environmental conditions. All three analyzed timber value chains are buyer-driven, led by processing and exporting companies in the downstream node of chains. At the upstream node, small-scale timber producers are normally less organized and lack market access. Timber production and commercialization provide profitable business activities to timber producers, traders, and processing and exporting companies. From a chain perspective, the woodchip value chain is financially profitable. However, its contribution to the national economy is the least. In contrast, the FSC-certified furniture value chain contributes fundamentally to economic development. The micro-level analysis indicates the difference regarding the socio-economic features, resource access, and management of producer households between the two analyzed districts. Relevant findings also indicate the importance of Acacia hybrid woodlots in the current livelihood system. However, more wealthy households benefit more from the Acacia hybrid timber income, especially in a well-developed market. Timber production and commercialization contribute to rural poverty reduction. Nevertheless, it is the main driver of the overall income inequality in both districts. Results from the literature review and empirical study support to conceptualize and evaluate the three development scenarios, displaying different levels of forest transition interventions and reactions of key actors in the chains. Under the current situation, a fast transition model with strict plantation control is not advisable for timber value chains’ stakeholders, especially those who operate on the ground. A slow transition scenario with a co-management model, instead, serves as a suitable development pathway. To improve the current management system, this study implies five management strategies, including (i) adaptive management; (ii) multi-stakeholder cooperation; (iii) target interventions; (iv) collaborative management and (v) integrated planning. The study can be of interest for further policy interventions focusing on sustainable reforestation and livelihood development in Vietnam. The approach of transition towards high added value products can further be applied in other comparable contextual cases searching for sustainable utilization of timber and forest-based products at large. Theoretically, the thesis highlights that sustainable management of forest-based products will not be obtained unless the related economic, social, and environmental aspects are considered in conjunction. These conditions are driven by several factors, such as national policy frame and market condition. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the interrelations within the economic-socio-ecological system to achieve long-term development targets. / Die Forstwirtschaft und der holzverarbeitende Sektor leisten einen wachsenden Beitrag zur nationalen und ländlichen Wirtschaftsentwicklung. Baumplantagen dienen Tausenden von kleinen Holzproduzentenhaushalten in vielen tropischen Ländern als Geschäftsmöglichkeit, um ihren Lebensunterhalt zu sichern. Da die Waldflächen und die darauf gestützte Holzproduktion begrenzt sind, ist eine nachhaltige Bewirtschaftung der waldbasierten Ressourcen, einschließlich Holz, erforderlich. Diese Studie untersucht die Wertschöpfungsketten und die Auswirkungen von kommerziellem Akazien-Hybridholz auf den Lebensunterhalt der ländlichen Bevölkerung in Zentralvietnam durch Integration von Wertschöpfungsketten- und Lebensunterhaltsanalysen. Außerdem wird eine Szenarioanalyse durchgeführt, um Entwicklungswege für die Holzwertschöpfungsketten vorzuschlagen und bessere Informationen für die Entwicklung der Plantagenpolitik in Vietnam insgesamt bereitzustellen. Die empirische Analyse verwendet ein Fallstudien-Forschungsdesign, um den Übergang zu höherwertigen Nutzungen von Holzressourcen zu untersuchen und dabei die Leistung von Wertschöpfungsketten für Hackschnitzel, nicht FSC-zertifizierte Möbel und FSC-zertifizierte Möbel in der Provinz Thua Thien Hue zu analysieren. Darüber hinaus werden zwei Produktionsgebiete, die Distrikte Nam Dong und Phu Loc, als Fallbeispiele ausgewählt, um die ländlichen Entwicklungspotenziale der Akazien-Hybridholzproduktion und -vermarktung zu untersuchen. Um Primär- und Sekundärdaten zu sammeln wird ein Methodenmix aus qualitativen Methoden, wie der Sichtung und Analyse von Sekundärdaten und der Befragung von Schlüsselinformanten, sowie quantitativen Datenerhebungsmethoden, wie der Befragung von Produzentenhaushalten, verwendet. Außerdem werden diverse qualitative und quantitative Analysen wie Inhaltsanalyse, Wertschöpfungskettenanalyse, Lebensunterhaltsanalyse und Szenarioanalyse entsprechend den spezifischen Forschungszielen eingesetzt. Die Analyse auf der Makroebene zeigt die strategischen Reaktionen der asiatischen Holzfirmen auf die globale Wirtschaft, insbesondere in Bezug auf geografische Reichweite, Governance, Kooperation und Gesamtleistung. Darüber hinaus zeigt eine Literaturübersicht die potenziellen Auswirkungen asiatischer Holzwertschöpfungsketten auf die Umwelt und die Lebensgrundlagen der lokalen Bevölkerung auf. Während die Kommerzialisierung von Holzprodukten Vorteile für die Akteure der Wertschöpfungskette mit sich bringt, führt eine nicht nachhaltige Waldbewirtschaftung zu diversen negativen Umwelteffekten. Die Ergebnisse zeigen erhebliche Wissenslücken auf und fordern eine breitere geografische Abdeckung sowie transparentere und quantitativere Bewertungen. Um das Verständnis von Holz-Wertschöpfungsketten zu vertiefen, sollten weitere Forschungsarbeiten die Ursprünge, Funktionen, Abläufe und Interaktionen von Unternehmen in diesen Ketten untersuchen und dabei ökologische und soziale Aspekte mit einbeziehen. Die Analyse auf der Meso- und Mikroebene legt die Struktur der Akazien-Hybridholz-Wertschöpfungsketten offen, welche von verschiedenen sozioökonomischen, politischen und ökologischen Bedingungen geprägt sind. Alle drei analysierten Holzwertschöpfungsketten sind käufergesteuert, angeführt von Verarbeitungs- und Exportunternehmen im nachgelagerten Knotenpunkt der Ketten. Am vorgelagerten Knotenpunkt sind die kleinen Holzproduzenten in der Regel weniger organisiert und haben keinen Marktzugang. Die Holzproduktion und -vermarktung bieten profitable Geschäftsaktivitäten für Holzproduzenten, Händler sowie Verarbeitungs- und Exportunternehmen. Aus der Kettenperspektive ist die Wertschöpfungskette Hackschnitzel finanziell profitabel. Ihr Beitrag zur Volkswirtschaft ist jedoch der geringste. Im Gegensatz dazu trägt die FSC-zertifizierte Möbel-Wertschöpfungskette grundlegend zur wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung bei. Die Analyse auf der Mikroebene zeigt die Unterschiede zwischen den beiden analysierten Distrikten in Bezug auf die sozioökonomischen Merkmale, den Ressourcenzugang und das Management der Produzentenhaushalte. Relevante Ergebnisse weisen auch auf die Bedeutung von Akazien-Hybridholzplantagen im derzeitigen Lebensunterhaltssystem hin. Allerdings profitieren wohlhabendere Haushalte mehr von den Einnahmen durch Akazien-Hybridholz, insbesondere bei einem gut entwickelten Markt. Holzproduktion und Kommerzialisierung tragen zur ländlichen Armutsbekämpfung bei, dennoch ist sie der ausschlaggebende Kraft für die allgemeine Einkommensungleichheit in beiden Distrikten. Die Ergebnisse der Literaturrecherche und der empirischen Studie helfen dabei, die drei Entwicklungsszenarien zu konzipieren und zu bewerten, die unterschiedliche Ebenen der Waldumwandlungsmaßnahmen und Reaktionen der Hauptakteure in den Ketten darstellen. In der aktuellen Situation ist ein schnelles Übergangsmodell mit strikter Kontrolle der Plantagen für die Akteure der Holzwertschöpfungsketten nicht ratsam, insbesondere für diejenigen, die vor Ort tätig sind. Ein langsames Übergangsszenario mit einem Co-Management-Modell dient stattdessen als geeigneter Entwicklungspfad. Um das derzeitige Managementsystem zu verbessern, schlägt diese Studie fünf Managementstrategien vor, darunter (i) adaptives Management, (ii) Zusammenarbeit mehrerer Interessengruppen, (iii) gezielte Interventionen, (iv) kooperatives Management und (v) integrierte Planung. Die Studie kann für weitere politische Interventionen von Interesse sein, welche sich auf eine nachhaltige Wiederaufforstung und die Entwicklung der Lebensgrundlagen in Vietnam konzentrieren. Der Ansatz des Übergangs zu Produkten mit hoher Wertschöpfung kann auch in anderen vergleichbaren Fällen angewandt werden, in denen eine nachhaltige Nutzung von Holz- und Forstprodukten im Allgemeinen angestrebt wird. Theoretisch unterstreicht die Arbeit, dass eine nachhaltige Bewirtschaftung von Forstprodukten nur dann erreicht werden kann, wenn die damit verbundenen wirtschaftlichen, sozialen und ökologischen Aspekte in Verbindung betrachtet werden. Diese Bedingungen werden von verschiedenen Faktoren beeinflusst, wie z.B. dem nationalen politischen Rahmen und den Marktbedingungen. Daher ist es entscheidend, die Zusammenhänge innerhalb des ökonomisch-sozio-ökologischen Systems zu verstehen, um langfristige Entwicklungsziele zu erreichen.

Die vorliegende Dissertation untersucht den Wandel der sozialen Beziehungen zwischen Gutsherren, Instleuten, Bauern und unterbäuerlichen Schichten im Samland nach der "Bauernbefreiung". Vor dem Hintergrund soziologischer Konzeptionen von Macht und Herrschaft und philosophischer Theorien zu Freiheit und Gleichheit, wird der Verlauf dieser Beziehungen vom Feudalismus bis in die Neuzeit nachgezeichnet. Der Fokus dieser Arbeit liegt auf den gesellschaftlichen Folgen der "Bauernbefreiung", denn durch die Aufhebung der Leibeigenschaft und Ablösung der Dienstpflichten entwickelte sich eine neue Gesellschaftsschicht: die Klasse der Landarbeiter.

Die Strategie „Vielfalt leben – Zukunft sichern“ bedeutet einen Schulterschluss aller Ressorts für die Entwicklung des ländlichen Raums. Die Strategie knüpft an die Leitlinien „Vielfalt leben“ zur Entwicklung des ländlichen Raums aus dem Jahr 2012 an. Wir setzen mit unserer Strategie bewährte Programme fort. Zugleich gehen wir vieles neu an. Für den ländlichen Raum bedeutsame neue Maßnahmen stammen meist aus dem Zukunftspakt; von dessen wesentlichen Bausteinen profitiert der ländliche Raum (z. B. Lehrer, Polizisten) in besonderem Maße. Redaktionsschluss: 26.06.2018

The rapid demand for wood products globally has put pressure on natural forests. Therefore, global efforts are now being directed toward establishing plantation forests to fill the wood supply gap while reducing the pressure on natural forests. This study conceptualized the socio-economic contribution of large-scale plantation forests to adjacent rural communities in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone based on the local perceptions of 125 households interviewed during data collection. To complement the household survey data, two forest-plantation experts were interviewed. The study found that local communities mainly benefit from plantation forestry through employment, improved road conditions, and water well constructions. However, the delivery of these benefits differed among the communities depending on the spatial distance from the plantation forestry central office. Benefits related to improvements in road conditions were perceived higher in the more far away communities. The trend is similar for the perception of benefits from plantation forestry activities: the farthest community with limited opportunities for alternative livelihood options appreciated the plantation forestry benefits highly and as fairly distributed. The results further revealed that perceived benefits from the plantation forestry industry, specifically employment and income, were rather unevenly distributed because the elites were able to capture more benefits than the others. These people were also identified to be influential in the distribution of benefits from the plantation industry. It is suggested that the plantation industry makes a conscious effort to extend the delivery of benefits to more community members regardless of their landholding, social status, or education level to ensure equal access to employment and land lease income, as well as CSR benefits.

In der Förderperiode 2014–2020 wurde den LEADER-Gebieten (LAG) zum ersten Mal vom Sächsischen Staatsministerium für Regionalentwicklung (SMR) die vollständige Verantwortung für die Verwendung der Mittel aus dem Europäischen Landwirtschaftsfonds übertragen. Mit den Aufrufen „Vitale Dorfkerne und Ortszentren im ländlichen Raum“ und „Regionalbudgets im ländlichen Raum“ erhielten die LAG noch zusätzliche Möglichkeiten, ihre Strategien erfolgreich umzusetzen. Dank der Regionalbudgets ist es gelungen, kleinere Projekte zu unterstützen und umzusetzen. Die Broschüre zeigt eine Auswahl an Projekten und soll das Programm einer breiten Öffentlichkeit zugänglich machen. Redaktionsschluss: 02.02.2023

Die wunderbaren Ergebnisse des 4. Aufrufs 'Regionalbudgets im ländlichen Raum' sind in dieser Broschüre zu finden. Es sind vor allem kleine Projekte von Machern vor Ort, die den ländlichen Raum lebenswert machen. Lernen Sie sie kennen! Sachsen setzt wie kein anderes Land in Deutschland auf die lokale Kompetenz bei der Verteilung von Fördermitteln. Mit der Förderperiode 2014-2020 haben wir erstmals vollständig die Verantwortung an die LEADER-Gebiete übergeben, zu entscheiden, wofür die Mittel aus dem Europäischen Landwirtschaftsfonds verwendet werden sollen. Im Laufe dieser Förderperiode haben wir den Lokalen Aktionsgruppen (LAG) mit den Aufrufen »Vitale Dorfkerne und Ortszentren im ländlichen Raum« und »Regionalbudgets im ländlichen Raum« noch zusätzliche Möglichkeiten eröffnet, ihre Strategien erfolgreich umzusetzen. Redaktionsschluss: 03.01.2024

Das Beschleunigte Zusammenlegungsverfahren nach dem Flurbereinigungsgesetz ist eine besondere, vereinfachte Form der Flurbereinigung, um Grundstücke neuzuordnen. Diese Verfahren eigenen sich vor allem dann, wenn kein neues Wegenetz benötigt wird und größere bauliche oder sonstige Maßnahmen nicht erforderlich sind. Es werden die Voraussetzungen, der Ablauf und die Kosten eines solchen Flurbereinigungsverfahrens dargestellt. Redaktionsschluss: 14.05.2024

Eine geringe Wertschätzung von Zwischenhändlern wie in vielen Entwicklungsländern ist auch in Ghana vorzufinden, was einerseits aus geschichtlichen Gründen aber auch aus Unwissenheit entsteht. Der Bereich der Zwischenhändler ist vorwiegend durch Frauen aus ruralen Gebieten betrieben, die Analphabeten und Autodidakten sind. Der Handel ist auf jeder Ebene organisiert, von den Kommunen über die Distriktstädte, die regionalen Hauptstädte und auch über die Grenzen des Landes hinaus. Die Händlerinnen organisieren damit den Warenfluss von den entlegenen Plätzen der Produktion oder aus dem Ausland, um es zu den Märkten mit der Nachfrage in den Ballungszentren und den großen städtischen Märkten zukommen zu lassen. Nichtsdestotrotz werden bei diversen Programmen der Entwicklungsorganisationen die Händler und vor allem Händlerinnen außen vor gelassen, die Konzentration und Aktivitäten wird auf die Produktion und teilweise auf die Handhabung nach der Ernte fokussiert. Der Wertschöpfungsketten-Ansatz verfolgt jedoch per definitionem alle Akteure in der Kette der Wertschöpfung, allein hierbei fehlen die Händler in der Umsetzung. Die Arbeit soll daher aufzeigen, welche Funktionen die Händlerinnen in den drei ausgewählten Fällen übernehmen und wie somit die Entwicklung von Wertschöpfungsketten optimiert werden und letztendlich die beteiligten Händlerinnen zu einer Verbesserung der Wertschöpfungskette beitragen können. / Trade is a widespread occupation for women in West Africa; such as petty traders that are involved with informal trade mainly. The case in Ghana is different as most of these traders are facing hostile treatment and harassment from many sides. Nevertheless, in development cooperation projects, rural economic development and development of its population is often targeted; whereas solely rural development projects have become projects to support value chains and its stakeholders. These value chains start at agricultural production, further on to processing and altering the raw product until its final condition for sale to the end consumer. The entire value chain deals with many diverse actors in rural and urban areas and also diverse areas of economies, such as micro and small enterprises, and other in private sector or public sector. Therefore, development cooperation dealing with value chain enhancement would address all actors. In Ghana, mainly production side and post-harvest management are dealt with and trade or intermediary trade is circumvented. Some projects openly state that they leave out traders from their interventions in value chains. Most prejudices of this type have derived from historical events and official institutions, also a lack of knowledge. Traders are by contrast those who are coordinating streams of goods from beyond borders to supply to domestic markets and vice versa, manage large quantities for export. The reason that women continue to work in trade is that they barely have alternatives.

Ziel der Studie ist, zum besseren Verständnis und zum politischen Diskurs hinsichtlich der Reform des ländlichen Dienstleistungssektors in Uganda beizutragen. Sechs Aufsätze zeigen, wie Reformen im genossenschaftlichen Vermarktungsbereich und innerhalb der landwirtschaftlichen Beratung den Aufbau ländlicher Dienstleistungen unterstützen können, um zur Armutsbekämpfung in Uganda beizutragen. Paper 1 analysiert, warum in manchen Gemeinden ein größeres Angebot an Dienstleistungen zur Reduzierung der Armut beigetragen hat, während dies in anderen Gemeinden nicht erreicht werden konnte. Fallbeispiele zeigen, dass (1) der Zugang zu komplementären Dienstleistungen ländliche Lebensgrundlagen verbessern kann, (2) ein hoher Anteil kommunaler Dienstleistungen teilweise durch kollektive Anstrengungen, Selbsthilfe und Partizipation ersetzt werden kann, und dass (3) öffentl. Ordnung, Sicherheit und Eigentumsrechte unentbehrliche Voraussetzungen zur Verbesserung ländlicher Lebensbedingungen und zur Verbesserung ländlicher Dienstleistungsangebote sind. Paper 2 ist eine Literaturstudie über den Zusammenhang zur genossenschaftlichen Organisation und Armutsbekämpfung. Paper 3 untersucht die Bestimmungsgründe für Resilienz und Untergang des ehemaligen Genossenschaftssystems. Paper 4 analysiert den Wandel des Genossenschaftssystems anhand struktureller Unterschiede zwischen dem alten und neuen System. Fazit: Das ‚Revival des Genossenschaftsgedankens‘ war begleitet von der Implementierung neuer Institutionen, Verbesserung der Fortbildung und Ausweitung politischer Unabhängigkeit sowie finanziell tragfähiger Genossenschaften. Paper 5 u. 6 untersuchen den Beitrag einer der bedeutendsten politischen Reformen im ländlichen Raum des heutigen Ugandas: die Dezentralisierung des Angebotes landwirtschaftlicher Dienstleistungen. Fazit: Die weit verbreitete Einflussnahme auf den politischen Meinungsbildungsprozess schwächt das gute Image des National Agricultural Advisory Services. / The objective of this study is to contribute to the understanding and policy debate on the changing landscape of agricultural rural services reforms in Uganda. My study analyzes service reforms in cooperative marketing and agricultural extension as part of efforts to make rural services work for the poor. Paper 1 presents empirical evidence to the paradox of why over the last two decades in some communities’ service provision has worked to get the poor out of poverty whereas in other communities services have not. I show that efforts to reduce poverty should focus on improving security, property rights, then analyze the capacity for self help and strengthen it with capacity building and improve public service provision. With cooperatives back on the development agenda, I further examine the revival and reform of agricultural cooperatives. The first question is addressed in Paper 2: What are the bases for general claims that the cooperative model has a potential to reduce poverty? Paper 3 addresses a second question: Why did a few agricultural cooperatives survive the crises in the cooperative movement while most other cooperatives had collapsed? Paper 4 examines a third question: How are the reformed cooperatives differently organized, how are they contributing to reducing poverty? The revival of cooperatives has included the introduction of new institutions, capacity building and promoting autonomous financially viable cooperatives. Paper 5 and Paper 6 analyze the impact of decentralization on provision of agricultural extension services. It is evident that widespread political interference is negatively affecting the overall good image of the National Agricultural Advisory Services. The study contribute to answering the questions what mechanisms of service provision have worked, why they have worked whereas others have not and what so far has been the role of political decision makers in the process of governance reform in particular areas of service provision.

More than 16 years post-apartheid, South Africa is still regarded as the most unequal society in the world. The government is facing various obstacles and challenges in improving the standard of living and quality of life for all its citizens, for example in facilitating the access to clean drinking water and sanitation, building houses and providing basic education. In addition, the country is facing the world’s largest HIV/AIDS epidemic with a national prevalence rate of 18.1 %, equalling approximately 5.7 million people who are currently infected. (Pressly, 2009; UNAIDS, 2008c) Against this background, the aim of this thesis was to study the Madwaleni community, situated in a deeply rural area of the former apartheid homeland Transkei. Applying the Community Oriented Primary Care approach, a strategy of ‘community assessment and diagnosis’ was used to obtain a holistic community profile and to determine the perceptions of its community members regarding their health and social problems and needs, intending to make recommendations to health care providers working at Madwaleni Hospital regarding future health education and disease prevention programmes. (Brown and Fee, 2002) This research used a cross-sectional design. In a preliminary survey, qualitative data was collected in short interviews with health care providers working at Madwaleni Hospital (N=46). The information served as a basis to develop and design parts of the Madwaleni community survey questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 36 questions, complying with the aim and objectives of this thesis. It was used for the structured interviews with the main study population, all of whom were members of the Madwaleni community (N=200), whereas half of the main study population were men and half were women, then again, half were unaware of their HIV status and half were HIV+ and had joined the Madwaleni HIV/AIDS programme. Key findings 1) Madwaleni community profile and characteristics Thoughtful sexual behaviour: Particularly interesting in light of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, more than 90 % of the sexually active community members were monogamous at the time of the survey. While only 36.4 % of the men and women unaware of their HIV status used condoms, 76.5 % of the HIV+ community members claimed to do so, indicating that the Madwaleni HIV wellness programme and especially its counselling and health education components are adequate and valuable in serving their purpose. High rates of illiteracy and insufficient education: Only 56.5 % of the interviewed community members were ‘functionally literate’ at the time of the survey. Of those, only 8 % had received a matriculation and not one of the community members had received any higher degree. In addition, 19.5 % of the sampled men and women were not able to read at all. High rates of unemployment, poverty and dependency on welfare grants: Only 20 % of the Madwaleni community members were employed at the time of the survey. Taking the daily income per capita as a reference, one third of the community members suffered from ‘moderate poverty’, defined as an income of 1 to 2 US $ per day, while the other two thirds suffered from ‘extreme poverty’, defined as an income of less than 1 US $ per day, although more than 90 % of the corresponding households received at least one type of welfare grant already. Large household sizes and predominance of traditional dwellings: In the Madwaleni community, an average of eight people lived together per household at the time of the survey, whereas 95 % of the community members lived in traditional dwellings, constructed from freely occurring natural resources. In need of safe drinking water, sanitary systems and access to electricity: More than 80 % of the Madwaleni community members obtained their drinking water from rivers or stagnant dams, while only 6.5 % used rain water and 9.5 % had access to piped water. In addition, almost 70 % of the community members had no access to any sanitary systems, using nearby bushes instead. Furthermore, more than 90 % had no access to electricity. The majority used paraffin for cooking, candles for lighting and wood for heating their homes. Small-scale cultivation to provide an extra source of food: In the Madwaleni area, 90 % of the families owned a small garden patch attached to their houses, used for small-scale cultivation. In addition, almost 90 % owned livestock, mainly poultry, cattle and goats. Crops and animals were used to provide an extra source of food; however, not one of the households could solely live on subsistence farming. Difficulties in accessing health care facilities: On average, each of the community members needed three-quarters of an hour to access their closest clinic and almost one and a half hours to reach Madwaleni Hospital, with 40 % and 60 % respectively depending on public taxi transport to get there. No substantial improvement of the living circumstances since apartheid: Comparing the Madwaleni community characteristics with corresponding data from apartheid-times, no substantial improvement of the living circumstances and conditions could be noticed, proving that governmental and non-governmental actions, programmes and services have not yet reached all remote communities. Similar community characteristics in the neighbouring communities: Comparing these characteristics with corresponding features of communities in the immediate or surrounding areas, namely Cwebe, Ntubeni, Mboya, Shixini and Zithulele, various similarities could be detected, indicating that the living circumstances and conditions might be generalisable to a certain degree, at least to deeply rural communities in the former Transkei area. More disadvantaged than the general South African population: The Madwaleni community differed significantly from the general South African population in 75 % of the compared characteristics. For example, amongst the community members the illiteracy rate (21.7 % vs. 13.6 %, p = 0.002) and unemployment rate (80.5 % vs. 25.5 %, p < 0.001) were significantly higher. In addition, the ‘poverty headcount ratio of 2 US $ per day’ showed that significantly more people were suffering from poverty in the Madwaleni area (92.2 % vs. 34 %, p < 0.001). The Madwaleni community members were less likely to have access to clean drinking water, along with significantly higher proportions of them using river water as their main source of drinking water (75.5 % vs. 5.1 %, p < 0.001). Also, they were less likely to have access to any sanitation or toilet facilities (31.3 % vs. 91.8 %, p < 0.001) or to electricity (8.5 % vs. 80.2 %, p < 0.001). 2) Weightiest health and social problems as experienced by the Madwaleni community In the Madwaleni area, the three health problems with the highest impact on the community were TB, HIV/AIDS and hypertension. On the basis of the applied 3-to-0-point rating matrix, they were rated by more than 95 % of the community members as being relevant problems, with mean values of 2.33, 2.30 and 2.14 respectively. Interestingly, women rated HIV/AIDS higher than men. Musculoskeletal problems and headache were additional health problems with relevant impact on the Madwaleni community, rated by more than 90 %, with mean values above 1.80. While pain and discomfort experienced by PLWHA have been recognised and researched before, there are no corresponding studies on rural communities and further research is necessary to identify the contributing factors. Additional relevant health problems: Interestingly, six health problems were rated higher by HIV untested than by HIV+ community members, namely bilharzia/ schistosomiasis, epilepsy, Herpes Zoster, HIV/AIDS, lung infections and stroke. Since the HIV+ men and women were educated about and screened for all of those diseases within the Madwaleni HIV/AIDS programme, this might explain the deviating rating patterns between the different sub-samples. Moreover, these results demonstrate that health education and disease prevention programmes are able to reduce the perceived burden of health problems and might therefore serve as a substantial argument in their favour. Interestingly, for the Madwaleni community, social matters had a higher impact on their lives than health problems, whereas the three social problems with the highest impact on the community were alcohol abuse, dependency on social grants and smoking. They were rated by more than 98 % of the community members as being relevant problems, with mean values of 2.75, 2.73 and 2.72 respectively. In accordance with these findings, employment & lack of work opportunities, education & illiteracy, food supply and poverty were additional social problems with relevant impact in the Madwaleni area, rated by more than 90 %, with mean values above 2.00. 3) Recommendations for future health education and disease prevention programmes At the time of the survey, the three most relevant health education and disease prevention topics for the Madwaleni community were HIV/AIDS, TB and healthy nutrition. They were rated by more than 95 % of the community members as being relevant health education problems, with mean values of 2.65, 2.51 and 2.36 respectively. In addition, STIs, alcohol & drug-related problems, water & sanitation and body & muscle pain were rated as the subsequent issues of relevance, with mean values above 2.00, supporting the identified community characteristics as well as the listing of the weightiest health and social problems. In addition, valuable new insight could be gained. For instance, HIV untested men rated the topic HIV/AIDS lower than all other community members, which is particularly interesting since men only constitute a minority of 20 % of the people testing for HIV in the Madwaleni area. Besides, topics not previously considered, such as injury prevention and basic first aid, were in-fact relevant for more than 85 % of the community members and require further attention. Furthermore, deviating rating patterns between men and women and the corresponding need for gender-specific educational workshops became evident, for example, for men about prostate & testicular cancer check-up or erectile dysfunction and for women about breast & cervical cancer check-up & papsmears or nutrition & growth. In addition, HIV+ community members rated depression & stress and psychiatric diseases higher than HIV untested men and women, with further studies required to identify the underlying reasons for these deviating rating patterns. Taking all findings from this Madwaleni community survey into consideration, health care providers working at the hospital and its peripheral clinics should first and foremost concentrate their efforts on maintaining the existing programmes, particularly, the Madwaleni HIV/ARV programme and the workshops on hypertension and diabetes mellitus. In addition, if qualified and motivated personnel can be recruited and the necessary funding can be raised, future health education and disease prevention programmes should focus on TB, alcohol & substance abuse-related problems as well as water & sanitation.