Impact of Land Ownership in Enhancing Agricultural Productivity in Rural Areas of Eastern Cape Province

Abstract

Land is a principal and calamitous factor in agricultural production and the growth of livelihood prospects in Sub-Saharan Africa. Land  ownership is an indispensable resource for agrarian efficiency in the pastoral regions of South Africa. It leads to sustainable and feasible  farming. However, the mainstream rural dwellers struggle to access and obtain land ownership, thus leading to low agricultural  productivity. Therefore, the study seeks to investigate the effect of land tenure in enhancing agrarian efficiency in rural areas of Eastern  Cape Province. The study used a cross-sectional research approach and a multi-stage sampling procedure. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 250 smallholder farmers. The analysis tools used were descriptive statistics, Logit regression,  and Propensity Score Matching. Farmers were landowners, with 70% and 60% having small-sized farms, which they utilise for agricultural production. About 17% of the farmers did not utilise the land they own because of a lack of funds, water availability and farming  equipment. The farmers' age, gender, years spent in school, members of farm organisations, access to extension services, household  income, and hired permanent labour were socio-economic and institutional factors influencing land ownership. PSM results revealed that  fully owned small-sized farms achieved high agricultural production than rented large-sized farms. The study concludes that full  land ownership impacts agricultural productivity more than rented land. Hence, productivity is high. Therefore, the study recommends  that the South African government and land reform policy must fast-track land redistribution among rural dwellers and farmers to  enhance agricultural productivity.