| Summary: | Bibliography: leaves 219-230. === Agroforestry (the incorporation of woody perennials into crop production and animal husbandry systems) is placed within the rural development context at the local and national scales, and its potential role in attaining sustainable rural development evaluated. It is suggested as an appropriate response to social economic and ecological problems in the study area (located in KwaBiyela, a northern part of the former 'homeland' of KwaZulu), with potential applications for South Africa in general. A diagnostic survey of 90 households applying a questionnaire of open-ended design, and conducted within the Diagnosis and Design framework of the International Council for Research in Agroforestry, has established that problems exist in all farm production subsystems (cash, savings/investment, food production, energy, shelter, and raw materials) in the study area. The findings include an overwhelmingly positive response towards agroforestry. Recommendations for agroforestry implementation are formulated based on the results of the diagnostic survey, taking into consideration information relating to the functioning of the local society and economy. Importantly, these recommendations consist of agroforestry components which are flexible, can be combined in a number of ways as extensions of current farming practices, and pay particular attention to the utilisation of locally available resource, familiar to the people of the study area, to solve local problems. In this way, the adaptability and survivability of recommended practices is enhanced. In conclusion the requirements for the development of agroforestry in South Africa are discussed in the light of the structural transition currently under way in the country.
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