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      Agricultural issues in the former homelands of South Africa: the Transkei

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            Abstract

            This article examines the prospects for agricultural development and rural transformation in Transkei, one of the largest of the former homelands of South Africa. In view of Transkei's size, its substantial population and largely rural character, an understanding of its current problems and potential are extremely important in any assessment of agricultural prospects in the former homelands. The discussion draws on published research and on the authors’ own fieldwork after the April 1994 elections. Some of the most intractable problems facing the Government of National Unity currently lie in the former homelands, which were starved of investment under apartheid. The article reviews patterns of peasant production and commercial agriculture (including contract farming) in Transkei and attempts to set current issues concerning land, labour (including the role of women and children), inputs and infrastructural provision within a national and international context. The article begins by briefly setting the national context, before moving on to examine the specific conditions of agricultural activity in Transkei.

            Content

            Author and article information

            Journal
            crea20
            CREA
            Review of African Political Economy
            Review of African Political Economy
            0305-6244
            1740-1720
            June 1997
            : 24
            : 72
            : 185-202
            Affiliations
            a Centre for Overseas Research and Development , University of Durham , UK
            b Department of Geography , University of Transkei , Umtata , South Africa
            Article
            8704252 Review of African Political Economy, Vol. 24, No. 72, June 1997, pp. 185-202
            10.1080/03056249708704252
            8595174d-c2ba-4c41-ad36-93a63e5b1c7d

            All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

            History
            Page count
            Figures: 0, Tables: 0, References: 58, Pages: 18
            Categories
            Original Articles

            Sociology,Economic development,Political science,Labor & Demographic economics,Political economics,Africa

            Bibliographic note

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