Institutional factors in natural resource management in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa - Institutional Constraints to Small Farmer Development in Southern Africa - page 215

10. Institutional factors in natural resource management in the
Eastern Cape Province of South Africa 1
Mafabia Mokhahlane and Ajuruchukwu Obi
Abstract
This chapter examines the institutional factors governing the existing patterns of communal
rangelands utilization in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The discussion
covered various institutional factors particularly those relevant to natural resource
management at the communal level. Informal institutions such as customary laws and
traditional institutions seem to have gone out of fashion in many places while in a number
of communities indigenous institutions still operate but competitions between them and
State structures has resulted in conflicts and confusion over definition, responsibilities,
management procedures and enforcement mechanisms. A key finding is that lack of
government support to communities has resulted in the poor management of resources.
The consequence of this has been deterioration of the rangelands and impoverishment of
the communities. The indication is that transaction costs and good governance structures
are important in the common property institution and high levels of trust and cooperation
between members are necessary to reduce these transaction costs. Furthermore, collective
action on communal lands enables communities to share ideas on how best to manage their
resources to ensure sustainability.
10.1 Background
In most of the South African rural systems, livestock farming is a tradition and it serves
as an enterprise playing a vital role of enhancing food security thereby alleviating poverty
(Coetzee et al. , 2005). Poverty, according to World Bank (2004), makes people less
powerful because they have access to fewer resources for sustaining themselves. Most
farmers, however, remain poor because of poor livestock management resulting from lack of
knowledge on how best they can manage their livestock and because of the high population
rate. On the other hand, despite various policies related to natural resource management
and tenure reforms, degradation of rangelands remains a big challenge.
Besides enhancing food security, livestock farming for small-scale farmers is also an
important means of generating income for the improvement of the livelihoods of rural
1 The Masters dissertation on which this chapter is based was supervised in part by Professor Gavin Fraser
at the Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Fort Hare and his contributions are gratefully
acknowledged. Dr Sikhalazo Dube led the project under which this research was funded and his generous
support is equally gratefully acknowledged.