'Undercultivation' and intensification in the Transkei: a case study of historical changes in the use of arable land in Nompa, Shixini

The large areas of abandoned arable fields in the communal areas of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal are often interpreted as evidence that rural people are no longer interested in farming and largely rely on off-farm sources of income for their survival. However, this case study of land-use practices in one village shows that farmers in the Transkeian coastal belt have not abandoned cultivation, but have shifted from the extensive cultivation of maize in distant fields to the intensive intercropping of maize and other food crops in fenced gardens adjacent to homesteads. Studies of yields from fields and gardens indicate that this has been an effective intensification strategy adopted by rural households to maintain yields in the face of shrinking resources and increasing risks. Evidence of changing land-use practices is presented and the reasons for these changes identified and evaluated.