- Title
- Declines in Livestock Numbers Accompany Cropping Deagrarianisation Processes in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Creator
- Shackleton, Charlie M, Ntshudu, Monde
- Subject
- To be catalogued
- Date
- 2023
- Type
- text
- Type
- article
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/402248
- Identifier
- vital:69834
- Identifier
- xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.3390/land12091735"
- Description
- Deagrarianisation amongst smallholder farmers is a growing phenomenon globally, driven by a complex array of context-specific and higher-scale factors. Most research has focused on declines in arable cropping, with relatively little regard to the deagrarianisation dynamics associated with livestock ownership, yet the two are often linked through the need for draught power for ploughing. Here, we report on a survey of 293 rural households in 10 rural villages in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa, where we ascertained whether ownership of cattle, goats, sheep and pigs had changed over the previous 15 years and what were the underlying reasons for any changes at both village- and household-scale. The majority felt that there had been a decline in the number of households keeping livestock and the number of animals in the village. Additionally, a clear majority of owners for each type of livestock stated that their households currently have fewer animals than 15 years ago. The main reasons for declines were that their animals had died due to drought or disease, theft, or they had sold them because of financial needs. There was a positive association between the keeping of cattle and field cultivation. Despite these general declines, two-thirds of households currently without livestock wished that they had some, primarily for use in cultural ceremonies/rituals or for income. This study shows the deagrarianisation processes in the region also apply to the livestock sector despite the significance of livestock in the local Xhosa culture. This study highlights the multifaceted nature of deagrarianisation in communal tenure systems.
- Format
- computer, online resource, application/pdf, 1 online resource (14 pages), pdf
- Publisher
- MDPI
- Language
- English
- Relation
- Land, Shackleton, C. and Ntshudu, M., 2023. Declines in Livestock Numbers Accompany Cropping Deagrarianisation Processes in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Land, 12(9), p.1735, Land volume 12 number 9 p. 1735 2023 2073-445X
- Rights
- Publisher
- Rights
- Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the MDPI Open Access Statement (https://www.int-res.com/journals/terms-of-use/)
- Rights
- Open Access
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- Visitors: 302
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Collections
RU DST/NRF SARChI for Interdisciplinary Science in Land and Natural Resource Use for Sustainable Livelihoods
Shackleton, Charles Michael (Distinguished Prof)
RU Department of Environmental Science
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | Declines in Livestock Numbers Accompany Cropping Deagrarianisation Processes in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.pdf | 1 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |