Trade in reed-based craft products in rural villages in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Abstract

Selling traditional craft products made from fibrous plants is an important source of income for economically vulnerable rural women. In the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, Cyperus textilis and Juncus kraussii have been used for centuries to make products of functional and cultural importance, such as sleeping mats and baskets. In the former Transkei village clusters of Mpozolo and Ntubeni, female crafters harvest the raw material and make and sell the products in their communities and in nearby towns. Interviews with 40 of them revealed what the trade contributes to their livelihoods and what enhances or limits their success. The findings show that crafting contributes vital income to vulnerable households, on average 26  ±  4 per cent of annual household cash income, over 40 per cent for the poorest households and 5–15 per cent for wealthier households. Lack of access to non-traditional markets was identified as the main constraint on the trade.

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Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sheona Shackleton

Respectively, Researcher; Professor and Head; and Research Associate, Department of Environmental Science, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa. The authors wish to thank Annegret Mostert and the staff of REHAB for their help and for the important work they do; the crafters of Mpozolo and Ntubeni for sharing their experiences; Dylan McGarry, Loyiso Fiyane, Eliecer Diaz, Brett Scott and Monique Pelser for help with the field work; and the South Africa–Netherlands Research Programme on Alternatives in Development (SANPAD) for providing the funding for this study.