The economic value of land and natural resources to rural livelihoods: case studies from South Africa

This paper assesses the often underestimated economic value of the contributions of crop production,
livestock production, and natural resources harvesting to livelihoods in the communal areas of South Africa.
The first section of the paper deals with the concepts that have been used in the analysis
of the value of natural resources to rural communities.
This attempts to provide some understanding of what constitutes ‘rural’,
particularly in the South African context, and how resource valuation
has contributed to expanding and broadening this understanding.
The second section concentrates on the importance and economic value of land and natural resources,
in terms of agriculture, livestock husbandry and wild resource gathering,
for rural livelihoods in South Africa.
It draws on and reviews a range of local case studies.
Policy implications of the findings, particularly for land reform, are then discussed.