ABSTRACT
The 1980s and 1990s have witnessed tremendous changes in the global economy and the position of countries relative to each-other in terms of their ability to compete effectively in an increasingly globalized economy. Whilst some areas have benefited, the picture is not a uniform one. Debt, structural adjustment programmes and the reduced role of the state in development intervention have had serious ramifications for the lives of ordinary citizens in Africa, the world’s poorest continent. The lowering of global trade barriers has witnessed the disappearance of inefficient producers and led to job losses in many areas. Amongst the hardest hit areas in Africa have been those which are economically and environmentally marginal. Despite this bleak picture, as is not uncommon in situations of extreme adversity, human ingenuity and resourcefulness often triumph as a result of people’s desperate attempts to survive. A net result has been the search for alternate forms of income and livelihood in such rural areas, which rely on either traditional skills or adapted, appropriate technology and techniques. The pursuance of new forms of employment, a frequent return to traditional activities and attempts to ensure food security has been variously labelled as, ‘development from below’ and ‘community-based, self-reliance’ (Gooneratne and Mbilinyi, 1992; Taylor and Mackenzie, 1992; Burkey, 1993). This paper explores these issues, with specific reference to marginal rural areas in the Southern African countries of South Africa and Zimbabwe, with a view to identifying the type of community self-reliance responses adopted and their sustainability. Case studies drawn on are used as cameos to illustrate the varying responses adopted in impoverished rural areas to the
development challenges faced, the relative degrees of success attained and the role played by external agencies. It should be noted from the outset that the two cases investigated, are examples of relatively successful endeavours and as such reflect the potential rather then the actuality of such endeavours in the broader region.
