How economic are the farming units of Leliefontein, Namaqualand?

Perceptions and realities of land degradation in arid Otjimbingwe, Namibia

“…Should the grazing resource in Otjimbingwe be perceived in such a light, the potential for land degradation may be high. We note here that the 'tragedy of the commons' concept has been heavily criticized in recent years, by Ellis & Swift (1988), Archer et al (1989), Shackleton (1993), Werner (1994), and Scoones (1995), among others. The criticism of the 'tragedy of the commons' paradigm is two-fold:…”

Rangelands at equilibrium and non-equilibrium: recent developments in the debate

“…This has led to government interventions such as destocking schemes, conversion of communal areas into individually managed 'economic units' and settling of nomadic pastoralists into group ranches (Sandford, 1983;Ellis and Swift, 1988;Archer et al, 1989;Boonzaier et al, 1990;Rohde et al, 1999). The main focus of these interventions has been on preserving natural resources, with the additional intention of increasing livestock production and offtake, often for export or city markets.…”

Managing Variability: Herding Strategies in Communal Rangelands of Semiarid Namaqualand, South Africa

“…In addition, neighboring farmers on privately owned farms fenced their properties, effectively confining communal area farmers to their designated rangelands and reducing their grazing areas significantly. In the 1980s, the apartheid government made an unsuccessful attempt, due to legal technicalities, to transform the communal areas into individually leased areas called "economic units" (Archer et al, 1989). Although the communal area was eventually reinstated, stock fences were erected during this time and further limited the movement of livestock in the communal areas.…”