ABSTRACT
A visitor to Shixini is immediately struck by a general concern with cultivation and livestock. The landscape, together with observable everyday activities, suggests an agricultural lifestyle and gives the impression that Shixini residents practice mixed farming. The attachment of residents to the land is soon apparent, and the majority see themselves as rural farmers. The tempo and ethos of life in Shixini is primarily agricultural. In ploughing season attention is focused on the weather and crop prospects, on the amount of rain that has fallen or expected, and much discussion revolves around this and other matters agricultural. Preparatory activities include the repair of fences, the readying of equipment and making arrangements for co-operative ploughing. The new agricultural development and land reform policy has emerged in a number of policy announcements from September 1999 onwards, culminating in mid-2000 with the final draft of what is titled the 'Integrated Programme of Land Redistribution and Agricultural Development in South Africa'.
