Rural redress through investment in water resource management for subsistence farming

Abstract

Rural development is a topical issue in South Africa. Several studies, policies and strategies as regards rural develop-ment are discussed at various levels and platforms. However, despite the efforts made by government and non-governmental bodies, rural communities such as the Mtubatuba community situated in the north-east region of KwaZu-lu-Natal and many other rural communities still wallow in poverty. In consonance to the high prevalence of poverty and stagnation of subsistence farming, the paper aims to suggest other approaches to addressing the cyclical poverty and defunct subsistence farming in this community.

To accomplish this aim, a mixed research approach was used; as elements of qualitative (interviews) and quantitative (questionnaire) research approaches were used to obtain relevant information. The study reveals that water shortage has adversely undermined the development and growth of subsistence farming in this poor community. Furthermore, the difficulties experienced by the marginalized people of Mtubatuba are typical of many rural areas which have not fully benefitted from transformation in a post-apartheid South Africa.

To address this concern, the study suggested the reallocation of the municipalities surplus budget to the investment of water resource management with the intent of transforming the subsistence farming into commercial farming; thus improving the standard of living and reducing poverty to a reasonable extent.