An Analysis of Livelihood-Diversification Strategies among Farmworker Households: A Case Study of the Tshiombo Irrigation Scheme, Vhembe District, South Africa

Abstract

Rural livelihood diversification has become a central policy in rural development and poverty alleviation. Farmworkers in irrigation schemes are a typical poor sub-group that has received little attention in research regarding their livelihood status and the contribution of diversification. This paper provides evidence derived from a study that was carried out to examine whether farmworkers in the study area diversify their livelihoods and identify their choices of livelihood-diversification strategies and the determinants thereof. Data were collected from 191 randomly selected farmworkers and analyzed using the binary probit model and the multinomial logistic model. Variables considered in the binary probit model—gender, number of dependents, employment type, farming experience, land leasing, and market access—influenced livelihood diversification among irrigation farmworkers in a statistically significant way. The multinomial logistic model analysis considered age, marital status, household dependents, leasing land from employer, farming experience, agricultural training, and access to markets as the statistically significant factors that influence the choice of livelihood-diversification strategies in the study area. The study concluded that rural development policies should consider leasing land to irrigation farmworkers that is adequate to reduce poverty, achieve food security, and sustain the livelihoods of farmworkers in the study area, as it boosts the generation of income.