Perceived patterns and drivers of deagrarianization: a case study of Ambros and Maramanzhi villages, South Africa

Abstract

Access to arable land has the potential to address the challenges of poverty, unemployment and household food insecurity in South Africa. Despite these opportunities and limited income sources, particularly in former homelands of the country, smallholder farmers have progressively disengaged from field cultivation. The aim of this study is to examine cultivation trends to understand the patterns and drivers of deagrarianization in Ambros village, Eastern Cape province and Maramanzhi village, Limpopo province, South Africa. A purposive sampling approach was used to select four key informants and four transect walk participants. Meanwhile, simple random sampling was conducted to select 106 household heads. Semi-structured questionnaires consisting of open-ended and close-ended questions were used to collect data for this study.