WOMEN AND LAND: ACCESS TO AND USE OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES

The typical face of poverty in South Africa is African, rural, and female.As the primary users of rural land, women engage in farming and subsistence activities. Despite this pivotal role played by rural women, they experience grave problems under communal tenure, most notably in relation to access to and use of land and productive resources. Research has shown that the majority of rural households in South Africa derive significant proportions of their livelihoods from land-based activities, and that the value of common property resources associated with land, for example livestock production,crop production, and natural resource harvesting is often overlooked as an important asset of poor rural communities. The importance of these land-based livelihoods sources is even greater for female-headed households,female members of rural households, and the very poor or "marginalised" members of rural communities, since they tend to be more reliant on land-based livelihoods than those with secure income from pensions, wage-earning activity or remittances from migrant labourers.

Autorentext

Ursula Arends tiene una maestría en estudios de desarrollo, una licenciatura con honores en estudios de mujeres y género y un diploma de posgrado en educación de adultos. Actualmente trabaja para el Instituto de Estudios Agrarios, Agrarios y de la Pobreza (PLAAS) de la Universidad de Western Cape. Está profundamente preocupada por los problemas de pobreza, desarrollo rural y género.

Klappentext

The typical face of poverty in South Africa isAfrican, rural, and female.As the primary users ofrural land, women engage in farming and subsistenceactivities. Despite this pivotal role played by ruralwomen, they experience grave problems under communaltenure, most notably in relation to access toand use of land and productive resources. Researchhas shown that the majority of rural households inSouth Africa derive significant proportions oftheir livelihoods from land-based activities, andthat the value of common property resourcesassociated with land, for example livestockproduction,crop production, and natural resourceharvesting is often overlooked as an important assetof poor rural communities. The importance of theseland-based livelihoods sources is even greater forfemale-headed households,female members of ruralhouseholds, and the very poor or "marginalised"members of rural communities, since they tend to bemore reliant on land-based livelihoods than thosewith secure income from pensions, wage-earningactivity or remittances from migrant labourers.