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Understanding the detailed web of factors influencing changes in cultivated areas at the household level is critical for sustainable development in the dynamics of agricultural systems. Households, as basic units within the agricultural framework, are at the center of decision-making processes that have a direct impact on land use patterns. Hence this study estimated the socio-economic and institutional factors that are associated with changes in the area of land under cultivation and associated perceptions. The study was carried out in the Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality, where land cultivation has drastically dropped. A total of 400 respondents were chosen randomly. Estimates of the socio-economic and institutional variables that affect changes in the area under cultivation were made using the Multinomial Logit Regression model. Descriptive results revealed that most respondents reported a decrease in the area of land they had under cultivation and few reported an increase or no change. The results further revealed mixed perceptions regarding any potential increase in the amount of land cultivated. Both negative and positive perceptions were noted. The empirical results indicate that livestock ownership and marital status are associated with a decrease in the amount of land cultivated, while the number of family members and access to extension services are related to an increase in amount of land cultivated. Institutional factors could be leveraged to promote an increase in rural cultivated land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild raw honey hunting and consumption is very popular among rural communities in South Africa as a source of income and food for households. Although men traditionally dominate wild honey hunting, in recent years participation of women has increased. However, evidence of the participation of rural women in wild honey hunting is often lacking. This study focused on assessing the status of wild honey hunting by women, factors that influence their decision to participate and associated income, dietary diversity, and food insecurity implications. A cross-sectional survey of 200 rural women purposively selected from Ncera communal area in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa was conducted. The study revealed that an emerging number of rural women were actively involved in wild honey hunting and participation is triggered by age, access to extension services and livelihood diversification, while access to formal honey markets discouraged wild honey hunting. Results further revealed a positive income, dietary diversity, and a significant reduction in food insecurity among participants compared to non-participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food is one of the essential areas of service delivery required for a household's wellbeing and development. Against this background, the literature suggests a high level of food insecurity among rural households in South Africa. Thus far, this study has investigated drivers of household-level food insecurity. Data were collected from 283 randomly selected respondents from Melani and Hamburg communities using a structured questionnaire. An ordered logit regression model was used to investigate drivers of household food insecurity. Descriptive statistics results revealed that most of the respondents from the study areas were food secure to mildly food secure (Melani-inland -73%; Hamburg-coastal -77.5%). The findings suggest that overall, the two communities were food secure. Econometrics results further revealed that factors like gender, household size, energy security, access to credit, farming, land ownership, and being able to afford to pay for water influence food insecurity of households in Melani and Hamburg. Therefore, to reduce household food insecurity, the study recommends that priority should be given to these socio-economic and institutional factors. This could be through improving gender and cultural policies which restrict women from generating income, training households about credit usage, and family planning to limit household sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of rangelands to the welfare of the rural poor has been acknowledged. The study explores perceptions and determinants of rural households' rangeland harvesting. A cross-sectional survey of 159 rural households harvesting communal rangeland products was utilized, as well as 64 non-harvesting households. The sample was purposively selected. Dyamala community in Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality, Eastern Cape Province was the study area, and was also purposively selected. Questionnaires were the data collection tool utilized, aiming at data on demographics, perceptions and participation in rangeland harvesting. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were utilized to analyze the data. The study found that among the rangeland harvesters there was a high positive perception of rangelands in terms of recreation and tourism, storm protection, nutrient retention as well as provision of wild fruit. However, the rangeland harvesters also exhibited negative perceptions towards factors such as the hosting of predators and deity. The decision to participate in rangeland product harvesting was influenced by the age of household head as well as perceptions pertaining to rangelands as a source of medicinal plants, recreation and ecotourism, deep-water wells, storm protection, micro-climate stabilization, income and wild fruit. The study recommends the provision of extension-based training in sustainably utilizing rangelands as a source of income, food and nutrition. Ecotourism can also be promoted as this dualistically and sustainably incorporates rangeland harvesting and income generation from wildlife. Promotion of indigenous knowledge, especially in medicinal plants, may dualistically improve income and health from harvesting such flora as well as enhancing conservation of these vital plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous Knowledge (IK) based technologies and skills have been central to rural livelihoods for ages. Women apply these techniques in a wide range of livelihood activities both on-farm and off-farm. Despite, growing scholarly work on adoption of technologies in rural areas, howbeit studies which focused on adoption of retro technologies and off-farm livelihood activities are very few. Given how central both IK based technologies and handicrafts are in the rural development nexus, studying determinants of adoption of such technologies among rural women assumes importance. This study used a cross-sectional survey of 170 rural women (88 adopters and 82 non-adopters) in Amathole District Municipality. Adoption of IK based technology was specified as a two-step decision process with awareness as a precondition for adoption. Thus, the study employed the Heckman two-stage model to analyze factors affecting awareness and adoption of IK based technologies among rural women. Age, employment status, social networks, access to material, access to the tourism market and workshop attendance influenced awareness. Employment status, number of employed household members, workshops attendance and crafter experience influenced adoption. The study urges the development of a comprehensive policy framework to promote awareness and adoption of IK based technologies in handicrafts as a rural poverty alleviation and employment creation strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The participation of rural households in home garden production, which is a premise of income and food security, is very low. Therefore, this study investigated factors influencing rural households' participation in home gardens from Ingquza Hill Local Municipality, South Africa. This is against a background where literature and development circles suggest that household home gardens can significantly improve food security and household income. Despite the fact that home gardens are a source of income and food security, rural households' participation is claimed to be very low, suggesting several factors worth explaining. The study used cross-sectional survey data from rural communities of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa (n = 200), to estimate participation drivers. The initial sample was stratified into two groups; home gardeners and non-home gardeners. For home gardening participants, a census was carried out due to their limited numbers. For non-participants, convenience and purposive sampling was used focusing on households with similar socioeconomic characteristics and close to participants for pairing purposes. Using stratified purposive convenience sampling, two homogeneous mutually exclusive strata were created (stratum "A"; "HGs participants": n = 87 and stratum "B"; "HGs non-participants": n = 113) for an independent analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the data. Regression results revealed that home garden participation was influenced by gender, education, household income, extension services, access to arable land, and credit access. This paper concluded that education, household income, access to extension services, and access to arable land were the major factors capable of positively influencing household participation in home gardening. In contrast, gender and access to credit were negatively associated with household participation in home gardening. Therefore, the paper calls for government policies and intervention programs targeting home gardening to improve rural household participation in home gardens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clean and safe water to drink is essential for human wellbeing. However, most people in rural areas still lack access to clean and safe water. This study estimated the determinants of the water security status for rural households from Melani-inland and Hamburg-coastal communities in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The water poverty index (WPI) was used to calculate the water security status of households in the two communities, while the Tobit regression model was used to investigate the main factors affecting household water security status. The findings show that water security in the study areas is meagre, mainly due to the unavailability of water resources and the time that is taken to collect water. The Tobit regression results revealed that factors such as paying for water, type of toilet used, and time spent collecting water determine households' water security in the study areas. Therefore, the paper recommends policy options that improve: the affordability of water, access to non-water using flush toilets, and ensuring tap water is available at shorter distances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]