Livelihoods and Landscapes : The People of Guquka and Koloni and Their Resources

Drawing on original data, secondary literature, aerial photographs and archives, this book analyzes changes in the use of the landscape and the nature of rural livelihoods in two South African villages. Taking an interdisciplinary approach on how livelihoods and landscapes in the Eastern Cape link the text provides a comprehensive study of the patterns of land use over time. Three separate chapters focus on cropping and cultivation practices, livestock and foraging as well as the gathering of wild plants. The book gives a vivid picture of the social dynamics and the interaction between 'urban' and 'rural'. It depicts the steady deterioration in agricultural production and the corresponding increase in dependence on social grants and wages. Despite this trend remnants of a peasantry do exist. Investigating rural livelihoods and landscapes in Guquka and Koloni : an introduction / Paul Hebinck Rural transformation in the eastern Cape / Paul Hebinck and Wim van Averbeke Agro-ecology, land use, and smallholder farming in the central eastern Cape / Wim van Averbeke and James Bennett A social history of Guquka and Koloni : settlement and resources / Paul Hebinck and Lothar Smith Natural resource base and agricultural potentials / Peter C. Lent Local governance and institutions / Wim van Averbeke and James Bennett The view from above : a history of land use in Guquka and Koloni, 1938-1996 / Peter C. Lent and Guilty Mupakati Production of crops in arable fields and home gardens / Paul Hebinck and Nomakaya Monde Livestock production and forage resources / James Bennett and Peter C. Lent Gathering from the land / Peter C. Lent Mobility and population dynamics / Lothar Smith and Paul Hebinck Contemporary livelihoods / Wim van Averbeke and Paul Hebinck Life histories and livelihood trajectories / Paul Hebinck ... [et al.] Livelihoods and landscapes : people, resources, and land use / Paul Hebinck and Wim van Averbeke. Focussing on the past history and present day life of the people in two villages in the central Eastern Cape, South Africa, this book provides a detailed account of the transformation of rural society and economy since colonisation