Comparative study on the agrarian rural household economy-2023

Abstract

The main objective of the 2023 Agrarian Rural Household Economy (ARHE) study is to examine the lives and livelihoods of agrarian households in South Africa, including how they have changed over the past decade. In this study 'agrarian households' refers to three groups, namely i) small-scale farmers (referred to as 'farmers' throughout the report), ii) farm workers and iii) farm dwellers who work or live on the commercial farmland of others . The research focused on the living conditions, employment, agricultural production, and other livelihood activities of agrarian households, including their access to land, and security of tenure. The inquiry sought to identify factors that could improve the living conditions, mainly of women, and support self-organisation within rural communities. The research also sought to understand how land and agricultural policy reforms can enable food sovereignty and improve employment and economic opportunities, and how civil society activism can influence policy to uplift living standards within rural South Africa.