Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

This thesis explores the perceptions of private, commercial land users in South Africa's Eastern Cape, focusing on their perceptions around land use challenges and the potential implementation of Spekboom carbon farming as a potentially sustainable agricultural practice. Spekboom, a succulent plant, has been identified for its potential in ecosystem restoration, that is hoped to be financed on a large-scale via voluntary carbon markets. Despite extensive research on the ecological benefits of Spekboom farming, there remains a significant gap in understanding the people influencing the implementation of such land use practices. Using Social Representations Theory as a framework, this study examines how land users conceptualize land use challenges and navigate possible land use transitions to overcome these in the study area. The research draws upon semi-structured interviews and observations conducted with private, commercial land users, offering insights into two distinct social representations: land use challenges as threats to livelihoods and land use challenges as threats to environmental integrity. The findings reveal that while most land users are generally open to sustainable practices such as Spekboom carbon farming, financial uncertainties, administrative challenges, and a lack of successful examples often inhibit widespread adoption. This study contributes to bridging the gap between ecological and social considerations in land use transformations, emphasizing the importance of understanding cultural as well as economic factors in land use transitions towards possibly more sustainable agricultural practices like Spekboom carbon farming.