Despite the widespread decline in arable farming in former homelands, Tshivhungulu village, Limpopo stands out. Siphe Zantsi and Livhuwani Masola from the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) reflect on how fertile soils, strong community agency, and irrigation potential could unlock agricultural prosperity.
From both observations and literature, there is a widely shared view that rural households in the former homelands have abandoned arable field cultivation. To a large extent, this is true in many provinces such as the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga. A long list of complex and interconnected factors is cited to explain why rural households have lost interest in arable field cultivation. However, there are a few exceptions in some provinces.
Earlier in February 2025, we visited the former homeland of Venda in Tshivhungulu village, which is about 22 kilometres from Thohoyandou. Tshivhungulu village lies at the foot of a mountain, with a dam named Tshirovha in the upper part of the village that could be used for irrigation. The soils appear fertile, with high productivity potential, similar to the reddish soils found in the Vhembe irrigation scheme.
Tshivhungulu village has approximately 370 households, along with about 57 plots of arable farmland. Dating back to the homeland governance period, each household or homestead was allocated a hectare of arable land. All the fields are adjacent to each other and have no fencing around or between them.
There are also several small household orchards, covering 10 to 15 hectares, planted with tropical fruits such as bananas, mangoes, lychees, and avocados (Photo 1). This is in addition to homestead gardens with a variety of vegetables and fruit trees found in every household, primarily for household consumption.
We spent a day with the villagers discussing farming and land governance issues in the village as part of our case studies for developing norms and standards to guide the subdivision of land and changes in land use. Among the participants in our village meeting was the headman, Mr Nkhelebeni Zeblon Masindi.
Arable crop fields are cultivated, but yields are low
We also had the opportunity to visit the arable fields (Photo 2). We observed that about 70% of the fields were planted with maize, mainly through monocropping. However, most of the fields showed few signs of a good harvest, likely due to inadequate fertilisation and erratic rainfall patterns.
With irrigation and the adoption of biotechnology – including high-yielding maize and fruit cultivars – productivity in these fields could be significantly improved. Villagers also expressed the view that the potential of the land is underutilised due to a lack of infrastructure to channel water to the fields.
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Adopting irrigation to achieve NDP Chapter 6 goals
Expanding the area under irrigation to grow the agricultural sector is one of the National Development Plan’s Chapter Six goals. President Ramaphosa has also emphasised the government’s plan to build water infrastructure, which will benefit agriculture.
Irrigable land is crucial in creating meaningful livelihoods in agriculture. In our discussions with farmers, they confirmed that rural households in their village could hardly survive on farming alone. Typically, a rural household earns off-farm income and supplements it with agricultural income.
To grow the agricultural sector and rural economies, we must capitalise on opportunities such as those in Tshivhungulu village by investing in water infrastructure and harnessing biotechnology. The villagers recognise the potential of their land and are willing to farm.
Encouragingly, they also understand the consequences of not following crop rotation, acknowledging that they could plant vegetables and legumes in rotation with maize.
A sense of agency and unity in Tshivhungulu – a recipe for success
This village has a strong sense of agency and social cohesion, something lacking in many other villages, which is why many agricultural development projects fail.
Tshivhungulu village built a primary school independently and only received government support in recent years. This demonstrates the cultural resilience of the villagers.
Moreover, the cultivation of fields is driven by the villagers’ own efforts, with farmers hiring tractors to plough. There is no crop theft in the village, as almost everyone participates in agricultural activities.
If a household cannot afford to cultivate its own land, it typically loans it to another household with the means to do so. This is different from many other former homelands, such as the Eastern Cape, where the few arable fields that are cultivated rely on government support.
Villages such as Tshivhungulu have better prospects for successful agricultural development projects because of their strong sense of agency. The potential for building irrigation infrastructure further increases the chances of success.
- Siphe Zantsi is an agricultural economist at the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and Livhuwani Masola works in the research support and coordination unit of the ARC. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Food For Mzansi.
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