The research focuses on the impacts of woody plant encroachment on livelihoods in the savannas of Eastern Cape, drawing both on published literature and necessarily limited data through pilot interviews. Fieldwork was conducted during February 2019-April 2019. Data was collected from farmers and landowners through interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire. Informed consent to participate in this study was obtained from all participants (Ethics approval reference number 024154). Interviews were conducted in Xhosa and translated to English.