The 1997 rural survey was designed to determine to what extent rural households in the former homelands had access to land and to income-generating activities. In addition the survey sought to obtain data on actual farming activities. The survey was the first of its kind undertaken by Statistics South Africa. The survey collected data on access to land, subsistence farming, sources of income, assistance and employment creation. Data was also collected on the relationship between income generation and the size of land, reasons for farming, as well as farm workers, paid and unpaid, unpaid family members working on farms, and workers paid in kind.
