Livelihood analysis of Gasela community in Amahlathi Local Municipality of the Eastern Cape Province.

Abstract

The study was conducted to distinguish the livelihood activities that need sustainable development intervention in the Gasela rural community. A sample survey procedure was done on a population of 77 community household heads. A sample size of 65 was randomly selected. It was found that cabbage, spinach, and potatoes were the most crops produced by the community. Wattle forest was used for cooking, housing, and kraal fencing. The households were affected mostly by pests, diseases, environmental stresses, and weather-related shocks. These sources of vulnerability are cited to limit sustainable crop production. Therefore, the recommendations were interventions for the sustainable production of cabbage, spinach, and potatoes. A further suggestion was to investigate the alternative resource for wattle that will provide the same livelihood outcomes for the Gasela rural households when biological control of this invader species is implemented.