Land Tenure System and Agricultural Land Use: The Case of Citrus Farmers in Alice/Kat River Valley, Eastern Cape

Abstract

This study investigates the decline in agricultural production in the Alice/Kat river valley of the Eastern Cape due to the fundamental problem of lack of land ownership by the black citrus farmers. The results indicate that the problems associated with the acquisition of land by blacks farmers emanate from laws that were passed by the former government to deliberately deny black people's rights to land except to work on white farms as labourers. Farmers in the Alice/Kat river valley lack land security and experience an unfavorable land tenure system. Thus farmers are unable to access the financial resources from banks to develop the land in order to alleviate poverty and improve their financial status. In addition, the lack of practical skills in land use planning among farmers has led to the under-utilization and low productivity of agricultural land in the Alice/Kat river valley. This study recommends the provision of land as security to financial access and land use skills training as essential inputs to reap the benefits of a profitable citrus industry.