Official data show that a small proportion of Eastern Cape households evidently derive their main or primary income from farming. But the same data also show that the majority of households with access to small plots suitable for farming are concentrated in Eastern Cape. Furthermore, comparative analyses of standard indicators of human wellbeing and development of Eastern Cape with the rest of South Africa show that the province consistently reports worse than national average rates of poverty, food insecurity, unemployment and inequality- reaching extreme levels in rural locations. Over the medium term, higher economic growth and service-oriented sectoral change, might be inadequate to reverse this dismal track record in human well-being. In this context,... |