Who benefits from rural development projects? a case study of the komati pilot project, Swaziland

Terry, A. K.

Abstract

The Komati Pilot Project has been developed by Swaziland's Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives to act as a learning experience prior to the major expansion of smallholder farming on the Maguga and proposed Bovane irrigation projects. Because of the failure to address the question of traditional land tenure and the very high level of public subsidy for the participants, doubt is cast over the value of this project to provide replicable lessons in advance of the main projects. There is some evidence that the scheme included already relatively advantaged smallholders, but this is not clear and the KPP has included some of the poorest smallholders in the localities. Potential changes to the EU sugar trading agreements with other developing countries may affect the long-term viability of small-scale sugar production. © 2001 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2001
• Journal: South African Geographical Journal
• Print ISSN: 0373-6245
• Electronic ISSN: 2151-2418
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 83
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 18-27
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03736245.2001.9713715
• Keywords: rural development projects, Komati pilot project, Swaziland
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1088456
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03736245.2001.9713715
• Additional Information: Additional Information : This article was developed from research funded by Swaziland's Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives to undertake a baseline survey and set up a monitoring and evaluation unit for the Komati Pilot Project. Recommendations were adopted by Swaziland Agriculture and Development Enterprise in the management of the Komati Downstream Development Project.