Impact of mining on agriculture and socio-economic aspects in the rural communities of Greater Tubatse Local Municipality

Abstract

The majority of people in the mining areas in Limpopo, South Africa, depend on agriculture to sustain their livelihoods; however, the mines have also become important because they create better employment opportunities. The purpose of the study was to analyse the impact of mining on agriculture and socio-economic aspects in the rural communities of the Greater Tubatse Local Municipality. The objectives were to profile the socio-demographic characteristics of the community members surrounding a chrome mine; to determine the impact of mining activities on agricultural production (crop and livestock production); to determine factors influencing farmers’ perceived impact of mining activities on agricultural production; and to ascertain the socio-economic (natural capital, financial capital, social capital, human capital, physical capital) impact of mining activities on the local communities. A quantitative research approach was used to conduct the study using a survey design. Six villages surrounding a chrome mine in the Greater Tubatse Local Municipality in Limpopo participated in the study. Stratified and random sampling approaches were used to select participants from each village to constitute a sample of 347. A total of 347 survey questionnaires were administered through face-to-face interviews but only 309 were correctly and fully completed. SPSS version 24 was used to analyse the data. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, the ordered logistic regression model, Wilcoxon signed ranks test and binomial test. The majority (50.8%) of the respondents were male. Sepedi was the most spoken language (97.7%). Most (63.3%) of the respondents were in the age range of 18-30, and 76.4% were single in terms of marital status. A large proportion of the respondents (70.6%) could read and write because they had secondary education. Land ownership findings show that more than half (58.1%) of the respondents had farm plot sizes between 4.6 and 10.5 ha. Average farm plot size was 4.1 ha, and only a few (1.3%) of the plots were above 9 ha. The average family size was about 7 people (actual 6.7). A large proportion (77.7%) of the respondents were dependent on government social grants (pensioners, disability and orphans) as the main source of income. Regarding the impact of mines on agriculture, the study found that in general, the mines did not have a negative impact on the production of livestock and crops, except for donkeys and groundnuts, which were negatively affected. In addition, the findings also show that a large proportion (92.6%) of the respondents lost their agricultural land (mainly grazing land) because of increased mining activities, although the loss of land did not affect production. With regard to the socioeconomic impact of mining activities on the surrounding communities, the study found that the mines had a negative impact on natural capital, physical capital, financial capital and social capital. However, the impact on human capital was positive. It is recommended that mining companies in the study area provide the necessary support to improve the socioeconomic status of the rural communities surrounding the mines in Greater Tubatse Local Municipality.