Determinants of Formal and Informal Markets Choice among Smallholder Farmers in Berea and Maseru Tomato Markets

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 117-133
Author(s):  
Montoeli Rantlo ◽  
Kelello Nyanguru ◽  
Brian Muroyiwa
2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 286-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Louw ◽  
D Jordaan

A survey of 52 smallholder fresh produce farmers was conducted in the Gauteng province of South Africa to grasp how risk and its management affect the mainstreaming of smallholder farmers into formal, high-value markets. The study employed a supply chain analysis approach, which focused on the functions and risks that occur along the fresh produce chain. The results highlight the risks that impede the participation of smallholder farmers in formal, high-value chains. At the production level, risk is prominent from input procurement through to the post-harvest stage of the chains. At the retail and consumption level, risks are linked to the adherence to quality and quantity standards, including prescribed packaging, grading, labelling and traceability and transport requirements. As a result of these risks across the formal chain, smallholder farmers often resort to distributing their products in low-value informal markets. The consequence is that smallholder farmers tend to remain trapped in poverty, in part, because of their risk appetites and their ability to bear risk. 8Further research is required in the areas pertaining to smallholder farmers’ risk appetite and risk-bearing ability and mechanisms to deal with the particular risks in the value chain that impede their all-round ability to escape the “smallholder dilemma”.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 8839
Author(s):  
Alberto B. Charrua ◽  
Philip J. Havik ◽  
Salomão Bandeira ◽  
Luís Catarino ◽  
Ana Ribeiro-Barros ◽  
...  

In Mozambique (South-eastern Africa), Phaseolus vulgaris and Vigna spp. are important staple foods and a major source of dietary protein for local populations, particularly for people living in rural areas who lack the financial capacity to include meat in their daily dietary options. This study focuses on the potential for improving diets with locally produced nutritious legumes whilst increasing food security and income generation among smallholder farmers. Using bean species and varieties commercialised as dry legumes in the country, it sets out to characterize and compare the chemical properties of Phaseolus vulgaris and Vigna spp. among the most commercialised dry legume groups in Mozambique. The principal component analysis showed a clear separation between Phaseolus and Vigna species in terms of proximate composition, whereas protein content was quite uniform in both groups. It concludes that the introduction of improved cultivars of Phaseolus vulgaris and Vigna species maize–legume intercropping benefits yield, diets and increases household income with limited and low-cost inputs while enhancing the resilience of smallholder farmers in vulnerable production systems affected by recurrent drought and the supply of legumes to urban informal markets.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando K. Carvalho ◽  
Rodolfo G. Chechetto ◽  
Alisson A. B. Mota ◽  
Ulisses R. Antuniassi

Crop protection on major crops is now required to follow the principles of integrated pest management so the timing and accuracy of any application of a pesticide or biopesticide has to be more precise to minimize adverse effects on non-target species. The development of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) provides a means of providing a more targeted application of the correct dose, especially by using formulations that are more persistent, thus minimizing loss of spray in areas subject to rain. Avoiding use of too high a dosage allows greater survival of natural enemies and reduces the selection pressure for pests becoming resistant to specific modes of action. The downward flow of air from a UAV should also provide better distribution and impaction of droplets within a crop canopy, reduce soil impaction caused by taking heavy loads of spray applied with 200 l ha–1 of water, and allow treatments when fields are too wet to access with ground equipment. In Asia, many smallholder farmers are using a drone in preference to using a knapsack sprayer. According to Matthews, it has been shown that ULV spraying can be effective, but it needs a narrow droplet spectrum with the droplets remaining stable and not shrinking to become too small. Formulation research can reduce the volatility of the spray, hence the success of oil-based sprays. However, instead of petroleum-based oils, there is a chance to develop vegetable oil carriers with micro-sized particle suspensions to deliver low toxicity pesticides in droplets that can be deposited within the crop and not drift beyond the crop boundary. Oil deposits will be less prone to loss after rain so less should be lost in neighbouring ditches and water courses, especially as rainfall patterns are forecast to change. More studies are needed to evaluate the swath for deposition, buffer zones, formulation, nozzle selection, to guide future specific legislation for UAV applications.


1993 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 332-335
Author(s):  
Willem Van der Geest

This volume reviews the nature and scope of informal financial markets in developing countries and elaborates on the theoretical and conceptual models which analyse 'financial repression' and other aspects of government intervention in financial markets. It also focuses on the consequences which the prevalence of informal financial markets in developing countries may have for monetary and exchange rate policy. In particular, it attempts to capture the functioning of informal, unregulated markets into macroeconomic models, working towards a general eqUilibrium model with informal financial markets. Two types of informal markets are analysed. The first are for informal lending at terms and conditions which differ greatly from those prevailing in the official banking system. The second are the 'parallel' markets for foreign exchange which tend to emerge in response to quantity restrictions on trade and administered allocation of foreign exchange to certain users at official rates, which are well below those on the parellel markets. The key question is whether these informal markets change the efficacy of monetary and credit policy-and, if they do, to what extent and in what direction? Two supporting appendices present econometric analyses of the efficiency of parallel currency markets and the degree of capital mobility in developing countries.


Author(s):  
Eva U. Cammayo ◽  
Nilo E. Padilla

This research aimed to improve dairy production and increase the income of dairy farmers using locally available feed resources. Small-scale milk producers rely heavily on available feed resources in the locality which are either indigenous in the area or introduced species for feed and nutrition of their dairy cattle and buffalos. Their milk output depends mainly on seasonal fluctuations in the quality and quantity of natural forage. Crop residues such as corn stover and rice straw which are high in fiber but low in nutrients serve as a feed supplement and filler to the daily diets of dairy cattle and buffalos. Cagayan Valley is an ear of top corn and rice-producing region. The potential of crop residues as feed supplements or raw materials of dairy cattle/buffalo feed mix is great. But dairy farmers still face the scarcity problem of quality feed resources for dairy animals especially during the dry season. The supply of forage is very low during the dry spell. Inadequate feed mix and low nutritive value of feed mix result in low or no milk production. Producing green corn and ensiling it to produce green corn silage preserves and prolong the storage life of forages. In this way, a stable supply of feed mix for dairy animals is assured year-round. Type of Paper: Empirical. Keywords: adoption and commercialization, dairy industry, financial viability, green-corn silage production, indigenous grasses, smallholder farmers.


2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
LALISA ALEMAYEHU DUGUMA ◽  
IKA DARNHOFER ◽  
HERBERT HAGER

SUMMARYA study was conducted in Suba area, central highlands of Ethiopia, to assess the net return, land and labour productivity, and the return to scale of cereal farming practice. Seventy-five farmers belonging to three local wealth classes (poor, medium and rich) were randomly selected and interviewed about inputs and outputs related to cereal farming for the production year 2007/2008. Farm soil properties were investigated to check the variability in soil quality among the wealth classes. Benefit:cost ratio (BCR), net returns and annual profit were used to indicate the worthiness of the cereal farming activity. The return to scale was estimated by using the Cobb–Douglas production function. The results show that cereal farming is a rewarding practice, with the rich households gaining more profit than the poor. Farm size was the most important variable that affects the net return. There is an increasing return to scale. However, it is unlikely that farmers will have more land than they own at present because of the land shortage problem in the country caused by the increasing human population. Thus, attention should be given to minimizing the costs of production through proper regulation of domestic fertilizer costs and increasing labour productivity especially for the poor and medium households. The use of manure and compost as an additional fertilizer should also be promoted.


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