scholarly journals The Market Orientation of South African Smallholder Farmers in a Disaster Context

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Ugochukwu Nwafor
Keyword(s):  
Market Orientation ◽  
South African ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Food Aid ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Seed Systems ◽  
Access To Credit ◽  
Farm Produce

Market-orientation is widely applied to envisage the interaction of smallholder farmers with both input and output markets. Commonly used in the market participation discourse, it is fast becoming a key milestone towards smallholder commercialization. This study introduces the term into the disaster, resilience, seed systems, food security and livelihoods context. Using a mixed methods approach, 120 smallholder farmers in a drought-affected district of South Africa were sampled, and information collected for analysis. The result shows that most of the farmers rely on purchased seeds and fertilizers for crop production, and on average sold 62% of their farm produce. A market orientation index (MOI) of 55% was estimated, showing that the farmers were market oriented. The farm size (0.004), quantities of seeds (0.007) and fertilizer (0.024) purchased, value of crop produced (0.043), amount received from crop sales (0.001), distance to markets (0.048) and access to credit (0.034) were found significant in determining their market orientation. Policy recommendations were made to improve access to irrigation, seed varieties and extension delivery in the area. The finding has implications for development efforts at rebuilding after a natural disaster, developing resilience as well as sourcing food aid from local smallholder farmers by humanitarian agencies.

scholarly journals The Market Orientation of Smallholder South African Farmers in a Disaster Context: An Input-side Perspective within a Seed Systems Approach

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Ugochukwu Nwafor
Keyword(s):  
Market Orientation ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Seed Systems ◽  
Access To Credit ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Input Side ◽  
Farm Produce

Market-orientation is widely applied to understand the expected interaction of smallholder farmers with input and output markets. Commonly used interchangeably with market participation, it is fast becoming a key milestone for attaining smallholder commercialization. This study introduces the term into the disaster resilience, seed systems and livelihoods context. Using a mixed methods approach, 120 smallholder farmers in a drought-affected district of South Africa were sampled, and information collected for analysis. The result shows that most of the farmers rely on purchased seeds and fertilizers for crop production, and on average sold 62% of their farm produce. A market orientation index (MOI) of 55% was estimated, showing that the farmers were market oriented. The farm size, quantities of seeds and fertilizer purchased, value of crop produced, amount received from crop sales, distance to markets and access to credit were found significant in determining their market orientation. Policy interventions were made to improve access to irrigation, seed varieties and extension delivery in the area. The finding has implications for development efforts at rebuilding after a natural disaster, as well as sourcing food aid from local smallholder farmers by humanitarian actors.

scholarly journals Adoption of Improved Mungbean Production Technologies in Selected East African Countries

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 528
Author(s):  
Frank Mmbando ◽  
Emmanuel Mbeyagala ◽  
Papias Binagwa ◽  
Rael Karimi ◽  
Hellen Opie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Women Farmers ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
East African ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Household Asset ◽  
Access To Credit ◽  
Household Assets ◽  
Production Technologies

This study analyzes the factors that influence the probability and extent of the adoption of mungbean production technologies in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, using multivariate probit and Poisson regression models. The results show that the probability and extent of the adoption of mungbean production technologies are influenced by gender of the household, household size, farm size, livestock size, household assets, access to extension services and access to credit. The study suggests that policy interventions that aimed at targeting women farmers, increasing household asset and information dissemination, such as field demonstrations and training programs, are crucial in enhancing technology adoption among smallholder farmers.

scholarly journals What Farm Size Sustains a Living? Exploring Future Options to Attain a Living Income From Smallholder Farming in the East African Highlands

2022 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wytze Marinus ◽  
Eva S. Thuijsman ◽  
Mark T. van Wijk ◽  
Katrien Descheemaeker ◽  
Gerrie W. J. van de Ven ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Skewed Distribution ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
East African ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Cropping Patterns ◽  
African Highlands ◽  
East African Highlands

Smallholder farming in sub-Saharan Africa keeps many rural households trapped in a cycle of poor productivity and low incomes. Two options to reach a decent income include intensification of production and expansion of farm areas per household. In this study, we explore what is a “viable farm size,” i.e., the farm area that is required to attain a “living income,” which sustains a nutritious diet, housing, education and health care. We used survey data from three contrasting sites in the East African highlands—Nyando (Kenya), Rakai (Uganda), and Lushoto (Tanzania) to explore viable farm sizes in six scenarios. Starting from the baseline cropping system, we built scenarios by incrementally including intensified and re-configured cropping systems, income from livestock and off-farm sources. In the most conservative scenario (baseline cropping patterns and yields, minus basic input costs), viable farm areas were 3.6, 2.4, and 2.1 ha, for Nyando, Rakai, and Lushoto, respectively—whereas current median farm areas were just 0.8, 1.8, and 0.8 ha. Given the skewed distribution of current farm areas, only few of the households in the study sites (0, 27, and 4% for Nyando, Rakai, and Lushoto, respectively) were able to attain a living income. Raising baseline yields to 50% of the water-limited yields strongly reduced the land area needed to achieve a viable farm size, and thereby enabled 92% of the households in Rakai and 70% of the households in Lushoto to attain a living income on their existing farm areas. By contrast, intensification of crop production alone was insufficient in Nyando, although including income from livestock enabled the majority of households (73%) to attain a living income with current farm areas. These scenarios show that increasing farm area and/or intensifying production is required for smallholder farmers to attain a living income from farming. Obviously such changes would require considerable capital and labor investment, as well as land reform and alternative off-farm employment options for those who exit farming.

scholarly journals Pluralistic Seed System Development: A Path to Seed Security?

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 372
Author(s):  
Teshome Hunduma Mulesa ◽  
Sarah Paule Dalle ◽  
Clifton Makate ◽  
Ruth Haug ◽  
Ola Tveitereid Westengen
Keyword(s):  
Development Strategy ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Seed Quality ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
System Development ◽  
Formal System ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Seed Systems ◽  
Seed Security ◽  
Seed System

Seed security is central to crop production for smallholder farmers in developing countries, but it remains understudied in relation to long-term seed sector development. Here, we compare seed systems in two districts of Central Ethiopia characterized by subsistence-oriented teff cultivation and commercially oriented wheat production and relate this to the country’s pluralistic seed system development strategy (PSSDS). Our analysis is based on quantitative and qualitative information from a household survey and focus group discussions with farmers, as well as document review and key informant interviews with actors that make up the seed sector in the study sites. Farmers in both districts used a range of seed sources but primarily obtained their seeds from informal sources. Evidence of seed insecurity was found in both districts, as apparent from discrepancies between what the seed farmers say they prefer and those they actually use, limited availability of improved varieties and especially certified seeds of these, challenges with seed quality from some sources, and differentiated access to preferred seed and information according to sex, age and wealth. We find that the interventions prioritized in the PSSDS address most of the seed security challenges and seed system dysfunctions identified, but implementation lags, particularly for the informal seed system, which is largely neglected by government programs. The intermediate system shows promise, but while some improvements have been made in the formal system, vested political, organizational, and economic interests within key institutions represent major obstacles that must be overcome to achieve truly integrative and inclusive seed sector development.

scholarly journals Usefulness of seed systems for reviving smallholder agriculture: a South African perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (02) ◽  
pp. 17581-17603
Author(s):  
SI Hlatshwayo ◽  
◽  
AT Modi ◽  
S Hlahla ◽  
M Ngidi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Food Security ◽  
South African ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Seed Quality ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Seed Systems ◽  
Government Grants ◽  
Seed System ◽  
The Government

South Africa is considered a food-secure nation; however, food insecurity is still a major challenge for many poor rural households that rely on cash incomes and government grants for survival. Furthermore, these grants are not always adequate to meet households’ basic needs and fail to provide them with the food required for food and nutrition security. Some of these households rely on agriculture to supplement their food needs, and an important aspect of this agricultural production is the seed system. Smallholder farmers in rural areas rely on informal seed systems, and use traditional knowledge and methods to produce, harvest, store, and sell their produce. This research combined quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the role of informal seed systems in promoting food production in rural smallholder agricultural households in South Africa. The narrative review showed reword that while smallholder farmers acquire seed from informal seed systems, they face numerous challenges that affect their production activities. These challenges include poor seed quality and assessment, poor storage and harvesting facilities, which limit proper seed production and affect crop yield and marketing. Due to these challenges, the ability of rural smallholder farmers to access mainstream markets is limited and as a result, they are confined to local markets that offer lower prices. Moreover, South African policies do not recognize the informal seed system as one of the contributors to food security. This is a major limitation as farmers may not receive the support and assistance they require. Formal recognition and support for informal seed systems would go a long way in improving smallholder farmers’ access to quality seed. This would have ripple effects on their yields and productivity. When properly implemented and given recognition by the government, informal seed systems have the potential to contribute to rural food security and livelihoods.

scholarly journals Measurement and Determinants of Technical Efficiency in Crop Production: A Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isha Sharma ◽  
M.K. Sekhon
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Efficiency Analysis ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Agricultural Product ◽  
Agricultural Crops ◽  
Access To Credit ◽  
The World ◽  
Farmer Education

Output is determined by the efficiency with which available technologies are used i.e. with the improvement in technical efficiency. There are extensive numbers of studies focusing on efficiency as a means of fostering agriculture production. The article reviews the literature devoted to technical efficiency analysis in various countries and its applications to agricultural production. The studies reviewed focused particularly on rice and wheat making them the most studied agricultural product by researchers. The review of efficiency analysis shows that agricultural output can be increased without additional inputs with given existing technology. Technical efficiency of agricultural crops like wheat, paddy, cotton etc grown in different countries of the world like India, Pakistan, Ethopia, Srilanka were reviewed and it was found that except for farm size, the variables like farmer education and experience, contacts with extension personnel and access to credit, tend to have a positive and statistically significant impact on technical efficiency.

The role of savings mobilization on access to credit: a case study of smallholder farmers in Ghana

2019 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martinson Ankrah Twumasi ◽  
Yuansheng Jiang ◽  
Frank Osei Danquah ◽  
Abbas Ali Chandio ◽  
Wonder Agbenyo
Keyword(s):  
Financial Market ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Access To Credit ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of savings mobilization on access to credit among smallholder farmers’ in the Birim central municipality of Ghana. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional primary data set was used to estimate the factors influencing smallholder farmers’ access to credit and size of loan to be borrowed using the IV-Probit and IV-Tobit model. Findings The results of the study revealed that savings mobilization has a positive significant impact on access to credit and the total amount of credit one can borrow as well. Other control variables such as transaction cost and farm size depicted a negative significant impact on access to credit. Land ownership, member of an association, household size, years of farming experience and education also showed a positive significant impact on access to credit. Research limitations/implications The paper only examined the savings effect on credit accessibility among smallholder farmers in one of the municipality’s in the Eastern region of Ghana. Future research should consider all or many municipality for an informed generalization of findings. Practical implications This paper provides evidence that smallholder farmers knowledge on the financial market is poor and it would require the policymakers or NGOs to organize financial management training programs so that the farmers high ignorance of the financial market will significantly reduce. Originality/value Although existing studies have examined smallholder farmers’ access to credit, the unique contribution of this paper is the analysis of the impact of saving mobilization on credit accessibility in Ghana, a major access to credit determinant in the financial market. In addition, those researchers who factored in savings as an access to credit determinant did not also consider the casual relationship between these two variables, thus, the present of endogeneity of which this paper does.

scholarly journals Farmers income and savings pattern in Benue State, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-137
Author(s):  
Ngozi Ekunyi Odoh ◽  
Simon Uguru Nwibo ◽  
Anayochukwu Victor Eze ◽  
Esther Onyinyichi Igwe
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Formal Sector ◽  
Access To Credit ◽  
Small Scale Farmers ◽  
Sampling Procedures

The study analysed farmers’ income and savings pattern in Benue State. Both multi-stage random and purposive sampling procedures were employed to select 140 respondents for the study. The study employed primary data which were collected through the use of the structured questionnaire. The result showed that farm size, level of access to credit, diversification of income sources, types of investment and risks inherent in the business are the major determinants of the income level of the small scale farmers. The farmers engaged in the following farm activities, crop production, hunting, fishing, gathering of forest products, marketing of agricultural products and livestock production. Meanwhile, trading, teaching, and non-farm wage labour were the main non-farm activities they engaged in. The result equally showed that farmers adopted both formal and informal savings methods but have higher preference for the informal method as indicated by their preference for savings in rotational savings and credit Association (ESUSU) and daily contribution schemes. Educational attainment, annual income, farming experience, and farm size had positive influence on the farmers’ savings pattern. The test of the hypothesis indicated that the socio-economic characteristics of the small scale farmers have significant effects on the savings pattern adopted in the area. Consequently, the study recommended the establishment of banks in the rural area so as to increase farmers’ savings capacity in formal sector; establishment of enlightenment programme to create awareness among the rural farmers, and introduction of risk reduction policy to minimize risks associated with farming, thereby encouraging farmers to remain in farming business.Keywords: Farm activities, non-farm activities, farmers, formal and informal savings

scholarly journals Vulnerability of Farmers to Crop Farming Risks in Ethiopia: An Integrated Vulnerability Analysis Approach Using Social-Ecological System Framework

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Chalchisa Fana ◽  
Jama Haji ◽  
Moti Jaleta ◽  
Alelign Ademe ◽  
Girma Gebresenbet
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Household Head ◽  
Vulnerability Analysis ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Analysis Approach ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Perceived Vulnerability ◽  
Crop Farming

Crop production under a smallholder system is challenged by several (a)biotic risks those resulted in livelihood insecurity. This study assesses farmers’ perceived vulnerability level to the crop farming risks and identifies its determinants using an integrated vulnerability analysis approach. Survey data collected from 393 sample households in West Shewa Zone, Ethiopia, were analyzed using PCA and ordered probit regression. Results indicate that 13 percent of the sampled households are highly vulnerable, 73.5 percent are moderately vulnerable and 13.5 percent are less vulnerable where 77 percent of the highly vulnerable groups faced more than 3 months lean season and 72 percent of the less vulnerable groups faced less than 3 months of lean season. Moreover, farming experience and education level of household head, livestock owned, farm size, on-farm diversification, access to credit, small scale irrigation, off-farming income, extension contact, and social capital are significantly affecting the perceived vulnerability level. These calls for need-based government and/or non-government intervention plans focusing on improving rural infrastructure and facilities and devising an effective and responsive institutional setup for enhancing the responsive capacities of smallholder farmers in the short-run and minimizing the likelihood of exposure and sensitivity in the long-run.

scholarly journals Adoption of community-based agricultural development project technologies among smallholder farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 127-135
Author(s):  
Solomon Adedapo Adesoji ◽  
Esther Oluwatosin Fabiyi ◽  
Michael Famakinwa
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Sampling Procedure ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Relative Advantage ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Chi Square

AbstractThe study described socio-economic characteristics of the beneficiaries of the Community Based Agricultural and Rural Development Project (CBARDP), profiled the agricultural technologies disseminated and adopted. The study was carried out in Kwara State, Nigeria among smallholder farmers. A multi-stage sampling procedure was employed to select respondents who participated in CBARDP in Local Government Areas (LGAs). At the first stage, one participating LGA was purposively selected from each of the agricultural zones, making a total of nine LGAs. At the second stage, three rural communities were randomly selected from each of the selected LGAs while the final stage involved a simple random selection of ten participating farmers from the selected rural communities making a total of 270 respondents. Data collected were described with the frequency counts, percentages, means and standard deviations whereas Chi-square and correlation analyses were used for inferential purposes. The results showed that the mean age of farmers was 52.1 ± 6 years, majority (92.2 % and 74.1 %) were married and male, respectively. The overall results indicated a moderate level of adoption of CBARDP technologies but high adoption in orchard, fishery, poultry and cattle packages while the respondents had low adoption in livestock, processing, crop production and agro-processing packages. The results showed that significant associations existed between sex (χ2 = 23.934), marital status (χ2 = 34.66), membership of social organisation (χ2 = 23.43), compatibility (χ2 = 362.88, relative advantage (χ2 = 211.69) and adoption of CBARDP technologies whereas there were significant relationship between household size (r = 0.201), farm size (r = 0.537), years of experience (r = −0.375) and farmers’ adoption of CBARDP technologies. The study concluded that adoption of CBARDP technologies was moderate among beneficiaries in the study area. It is therefore recommended that more awareness should be created by relevant stakeholders to encourage especially more women to actively participate in similar projects in the future.

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