Abstract:
This paper examines the contribution of industrial tree plantation to welfare of rural
households in villages located in the industrial tree plantations 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 need to address issues of concern raised by households in this
study in order to improve the overall contribution of tree plantations to rural household’s
welfare in South Africa.
