Cropland Abandonment in South African Smallholder Communal Lands: Land Cover Change (1950–2010) and Farmer Perceptions of Contributing Factors
Despite agricultural land abandonment threatening the food security and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, it is pervasive globally and in developing countries. Yet land abandonment is an understudied aspect of land use change in social–ecological systems. Here we provide more informa...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2018-10-01
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| Series: | Land |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/7/4/121 |
| _version_ | 1818246357798879232 |
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| author | Dale Blair Charlie M. Shackleton Penelope J. Mograbi |
| author_facet | Dale Blair Charlie M. Shackleton Penelope J. Mograbi |
| author_sort | Dale Blair |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Despite agricultural land abandonment threatening the food security and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, it is pervasive globally and in developing countries. Yet land abandonment is an understudied aspect of land use change in social–ecological systems. Here we provide more information on this phenomenon by exploring cropland abandonment during 1950–2010 in four former South African ‘homelands’—part of the ‘Apartheid’ era racially-based land allocation programs—characterized by rural, smallholder farmers. Cropland abandonment 1950–2010 was widespread in all surveyed sites (KwaZulu: 0.08% year−1, Transkei: 0.13% year−1, Lebowa: 0.23% year−1, Venda: 0.28% year−1), with rates peaking between 1970 and 1990, with concomitant increases (up to 0.16% year−1) of woody vegetation cover at the expense of grassland cover. Active and past farmers attributed cropland abandonment to a lack of draught power, rainfall variability and droughts, and a more modernized youth disinclined to living a marginal agrarian lifestyle. We discuss the potential social and ecological implications of abandoned croplands at the local and regional scales, as the deagrarianization trend is unlikely to abate considering the failure of current South African national agricultural incentives. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T14:47:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-64086e93faac487893448f87c5d8e91a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-445X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T14:47:32Z |
| publishDate | 2018-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Land |
| spelling | doaj.art-64086e93faac487893448f87c5d8e91a2022-12-22T00:21:05ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2018-10-017412110.3390/land7040121land7040121Cropland Abandonment in South African Smallholder Communal Lands: Land Cover Change (1950–2010) and Farmer Perceptions of Contributing FactorsDale Blair0Charlie M. Shackleton1Penelope J. Mograbi2Department of Environmental Science, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6139, South AfricaDepartment of Environmental Science, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6139, South AfricaDepartment of Environmental Science, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6139, South AfricaDespite agricultural land abandonment threatening the food security and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, it is pervasive globally and in developing countries. Yet land abandonment is an understudied aspect of land use change in social–ecological systems. Here we provide more information on this phenomenon by exploring cropland abandonment during 1950–2010 in four former South African ‘homelands’—part of the ‘Apartheid’ era racially-based land allocation programs—characterized by rural, smallholder farmers. Cropland abandonment 1950–2010 was widespread in all surveyed sites (KwaZulu: 0.08% year−1, Transkei: 0.13% year−1, Lebowa: 0.23% year−1, Venda: 0.28% year−1), with rates peaking between 1970 and 1990, with concomitant increases (up to 0.16% year−1) of woody vegetation cover at the expense of grassland cover. Active and past farmers attributed cropland abandonment to a lack of draught power, rainfall variability and droughts, and a more modernized youth disinclined to living a marginal agrarian lifestyle. We discuss the potential social and ecological implications of abandoned croplands at the local and regional scales, as the deagrarianization trend is unlikely to abate considering the failure of current South African national agricultural incentives.http://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/7/4/121agricultural land abandonmentbush encroachmentdeagrarianizationhomelandsold fieldssocial–ecological systemsrural farmers |
| spellingShingle | Dale Blair Charlie M. Shackleton Penelope J. Mograbi Cropland Abandonment in South African Smallholder Communal Lands: Land Cover Change (1950–2010) and Farmer Perceptions of Contributing Factors Land agricultural land abandonment bush encroachment deagrarianization homelands old fields social–ecological systems rural farmers |
| title | Cropland Abandonment in South African Smallholder Communal Lands: Land Cover Change (1950–2010) and Farmer Perceptions of Contributing Factors |
| title_full | Cropland Abandonment in South African Smallholder Communal Lands: Land Cover Change (1950–2010) and Farmer Perceptions of Contributing Factors |
| title_fullStr | Cropland Abandonment in South African Smallholder Communal Lands: Land Cover Change (1950–2010) and Farmer Perceptions of Contributing Factors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cropland Abandonment in South African Smallholder Communal Lands: Land Cover Change (1950–2010) and Farmer Perceptions of Contributing Factors |
| title_short | Cropland Abandonment in South African Smallholder Communal Lands: Land Cover Change (1950–2010) and Farmer Perceptions of Contributing Factors |
| title_sort | cropland abandonment in south african smallholder communal lands land cover change 1950 2010 and farmer perceptions of contributing factors |
| topic | agricultural land abandonment bush encroachment deagrarianization homelands old fields social–ecological systems rural farmers |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/7/4/121 |
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