Editorial Comment

This issue was born not from solicitations but from the independent interest of the respective authors in what remains a burning policy issue for the South African public: land reform. How important, however, is this issue to the ANC government? How has it responded to social issues in the rural context? The authors do not suggest that we are going to be moving to a rural South Africa in which prosperous peasants or small growers form a key element in the population but they do suggest some of the reasons why this is the case. Henry Bernstein's article showcases the current international debates on small growers and peasantries in development thinking by one of those most cited in theoretical attempts to come to grips with the peasantry in Africa by means of introducing the issue.