The contribution of redistributive land reform to employment creation, a research for the CBPEP and the National Treasury
The contribution of redistributive land reform to employment creation, a research for the CBPEP and the National Treasury
GovInn co-director Dr. Bruno Losch contributed to a collective research on Employment-intensive rural land reform in South Africa, commissioned by the Capacity Building Programme for Employment Promotion (CBPEP), an EU-funded initiative hosted by Government Technical Advisory Centre (GTAC), an agency of the National Treasury.
The study was implemented by a team of researchers and experts, coordinated by Professor Ben Cousins, founder of the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) at the University of the Western Cape.
The team investigated the following questions: Can land redistribution be undertaken in a manner that also creates jobs? And if so, through which types of land use and farming systems? Operating at what scales? What is the potential of small-scale farming, in particular?
“Land reform can assist in creating more employment-intensive farming systems by: reducing the size of farming units, while increasing their total numbers; changing the mix and scale of farm commodities produced; and changing farming systems so that they become more employment-intensive” Ben Cousins wrote in a summary article in The Conversation Africa.
Based on case studies in four local municipalities in Eastern Cape, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, and Western Cape, and looking at the impacts of redistributing 50% of available agricultural land with support to small-scale farmers, the research estimated that more than 23,000 jobs
could be created in these four municipalities alone.
The results consist in a set of thematic, value chains and municipality reports, with summaries, policy briefs and a final report.
The contribution of redistributive land reform to employment creation, a research for the CBPEP and the National Treasury
GovInn co-director Dr. Bruno Losch contributed to a collective research on Employment-intensive rural land reform in South Africa, commissioned by the Capacity Building Programme for Employment Promotion (CBPEP), an EU-funded initiative hosted by Government Technical Advisory Centre (GTAC), an agency of the National Treasury.
The study was implemented by a team of researchers and experts, coordinated by Professor Ben Cousins, founder of the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) at the University of the Western Cape.
The team investigated the following questions: Can land redistribution be undertaken in a manner that also creates jobs? And if so, through which types of land use and farming systems? Operating at what scales? What is the potential of small-scale farming, in particular?
“Land reform can assist in creating more employment-intensive farming systems by: reducing the size of farming units, while increasing their total numbers; changing the mix and scale of farm commodities produced; and changing farming systems so that they become more employment-intensive” Ben Cousins wrote in a summary article in The Conversation Africa.
Based on case studies in four local municipalities in Eastern Cape, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, and Western Cape, and looking at the impacts of redistributing 50% of available agricultural land with support to small-scale farmers, the research estimated that more than 23,000 jobs
could be created in these four municipalities alone.
The results consist in a set of thematic, value chains and municipality reports, with summaries, policy briefs and a final report.
Bruno Losch is one of the co-authors of the final report and the main author of a thematic study entitled International experiences of support policies for smallholders: A review and an exploration of underlying rationale and narrative. He also contributed in one of the local
municipality studies.
Read the full report and the policy brief with the policy recommendations.
All the documentation can be found on the CBPEP website (here).
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