The contribution of tree plantations to household welfare: Case study of Piet Retief and Iswepe communities

This paper examines the contribution of industrial tree plantations to the welfare of rural households in villages located in Iswepe and Piet Retief communities of Mkhondo local municipality, South Africa. Systemic random sampling was used to administer questionnaire survey on 120 households. Findings shows that household in these communities enjoy direct benefits such as employment opportunities, and indirect benefits such as provision of housing linked to the social responsibility spending of tree plantation companies operating in the locality. However, households in the study area expressed concern with issues such as lack of access to electricity, poor health and sanitation services. There is therefore a need to address issues of concern raised by households in this study in order to improve the overall contribution of tree plantations to rural households' welfare in South Africa.