RURAL NON-FARM ENTERPRISES: A VEHICLE FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA? / NIE-LANDBOU ONDERNEMINGS IN LANDELIKE GEBIEDE: 'N MOONTLIKE VOERTUIG VIR LANDELIKE ONTWKKELZNG IN SUID-AFRIKA

Abstract

There is a need to determine the extent to which the development and promotion of small scale rural non-farm enterprises can be a vehicle to promote rural development and alleviate poverty. As a first step in developing an analytical framework to study the link between rural development and the rural non-farm sector in South Africa, this paper provides an analysis of the diversity and behaviour of non-farm enterprises in the rural areas of the Northern and Northwest provinces. From the analysis provided in this paper, it seems that there is a lack of diversity in the rural non-farm economy with a complete domination by trading and service related enterprises and a virtual absence of small-scale rural industries.

Daar is toenemend 'n behoefte om te bepaal tot watter mate die ontwikkeling en bevordering van kleinskaalse landelike nie- landbou-ondernemings landelike ontwikkeling kan bevorder en annoede kan verlig. As 'n eerste stap om 'n analitiese raamwerk daar te stel om die verband tussen landelike ontwikkeling en die landelike nie-landbousektor te bepaal, analiseer hierdie referaat die verskeidenheid en gedrag van nie-landbou ondernemings in die landelike gebiede van die Noordelike en Noordwes provinsies. Die analise wys daarop dat daar gebrekkige diversifikasie in die landelike nie-landbousektor is met 'n totale dominansie van handels- en diensgeoriënteerde ondememings en die relatiewe afwesigheid van kleinskaalse nywerhede.