The study investigated indigenous land management practices in the North West
Province with special reference to Miga and Tsetse villages. The study found that the
apartheid forced removal policies had a great impact on the socio-economic and cultural
life of the communities in the two study villages. The communities were resettled in a
new harsh environment in which they encountered. various problems with adaptation.
The land management practices in Miga and Tsetse villages were different from the
traditional farming practices in their places of origin in the then Western Transvaal,
where they were self-reliant. The new farming practices in Miga and Tsetse are based
on modern agricultural land use system, which include the use of modern equipment
and other inputs. Most of the community members cannot afford them due to high levels
of unemployment. Moreover, given the arid conditions of the area, the new farming
practices depend on availability of rain. The policy strategies and projects instituted and
implemented by both the Bophuthatswana government and the North West Provincial
government did not benefit the two communities much. Lack of funds and dependency
on government funds made the projects unsustainable.
The study recommended that since the Miga and Tsetse Communities have access to
land for farming, the North West Provincial Department of Agriculture should put more
emphasis on promoting and improving indigenous farming methods by incorporating
them into the provincial agricultural development strategies. This is due to the fact that
these practices are sustainable and affordable to the local communities. They are
adaptable and tuned to the needs of people. Also, they pertain to cultural values of the
communities. Moreover, the current poverty situation in Miga and Tsetse villages
necessitates the great need for the communities to initiate other income generating
ventures beside agriculture. The government should provide the communities with the
necessary support including capacity building to ensure the sustainability and success
of these projects / (M.Soc.Sc.) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2005
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/11274 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Mogopa, Yvonne |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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