scholarly journals Review: Challenges and opportunities for revitalising smallholder irrigation schemes in South Africa

Water SA ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (3 July) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Fanadzo ◽  
B Ncube
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
Government Policy ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
The Government ◽  
Smallholder Irrigation

South Africa is classified as a water-scarce country, and depends on agriculture for food production. The irrigation sector is the largest consumer of water in the country, accounting for about 62% of water utilisation, but also losing 30–40%. Given the threat of drought and climate change, efficient irrigation systems have become a necessity, especially in the smallholder farming sector where most losses occur. Smallholder irrigation schemes (SIS) were developed to improve rural livelihoods through sustainable food production for food security and poverty alleviation, but these development objectives remain largely unfulfilled. The objectives of this review were to assess challenges facing SIS and explore opportunities for revitalising the schemes. The focus was on government policy and strategies to support smallholder farmers. A review of government policy showed that although the needs and interests of smallholder farmers are high on the national agenda, there is insufficient financial support to the sector, suggesting that smallholder agriculture is not really seen as a potential driver of the economy. The core focus of the government on repairing irrigation infrastructure while neglecting the soft components relating to capacity building has partly been blamed for the failure of SIS in South Africa. Capacity building is one of the missing links in smallholder irrigation development and many failures have been attributed to lack of adequately trained farmers and extension staff, particularly in irrigation water management. Land tenure insecurity has been singled out as a major institutional challenge leading to poor performance of irrigation schemes. The diversity of schemes means that different kinds of interventions are needed to respond to varying farmers’ needs, resources and agricultural contexts. These findings point to the need to balance the soft and hard components of the irrigation schemes for sustainability. It is therefore evident that the government needs to review its priorities in revitalisation of SIS. Land tenure policies allowing increased access to arable land need to be developed urgently, together with the promotion of alternative cropping systems that are suitable forthe smallholder farming sector.

scholarly journals DETERMINANTS OF USE OF FARM MECHANIZATION SERVICES IN EMERGING FARMERS, NORTH WEST PROVINCE, SOUTH AFRICA

2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa Rubhara
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
Land Reform ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Tobit Regression ◽  
North West ◽  
Support Programme ◽  
North West Province ◽  
Farm Mechanization ◽  
The Government

There are low levels of farm mechanization in South Africa despite government efforts to improve access to infrastructure and finance through the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP). The objective of this study is to assess the levels of mechanisation in the emerging sector and the determinants thereof. The sample size consisted of 163 randomly selected maize and sunflower emerging farmers in North West Province. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to assess level of mechanization and the Tobit regression model was used to analyze factors that influence usage of farm machinery. The study revealed that variables including land tenure (p < 0.05), financial assistance (p < 0.01), access to loans (p < 0.05), and accessibility to road infrastructure (p < 0.01) positively influenced usage of mechanization. In addition, the variable age (p < 0.01) had a negative statistically significant influence on farm mechanization. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that the government should consider scaling up the CASP to finance more farmers and review its land reform policy to ensure ownership of land to more young smallholder farmers who can use mechanization services for efficient agricultural production.

scholarly journals Classification and characterisation of smallholder farmers in South Africa: a brief review

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-106
Author(s):  
Carelson ◽  
Ncube ◽  
Fanadzo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Predominantly White ◽  
South African ◽  
Land Reform ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Access To Water ◽  
The Government

The South African agricultural sector has experienced various transformation processes over the past 25 years, from a predominantly white commercial sector to a black focused sector with an emphasis on smallholder farming. The government is committed to supporting the smallholder farming sector through interventions that include land reform and access to water, amongst others. Despite these efforts, smallholder farmers remain vulnerable, especially during drought periods. Smallholder farmers are not homogeneous; instead, they are diverse, and their farming needs also differ according to their livelihood needs. Due to the diversity of smallholder farmers, it is difficult for the government to effectively respond to their needs. The 2015–2018 drought is a case in point. This paper assesses the challenges of defining and classifying smallholder farmers in South Africa. The complex Western Cape classification system is presented as a case study. The study concludes that there is a need for a simpler method of grouping the smallholder farmers based on their livelihoods to develop relevant support systems.

scholarly journals Factors That Matter for Financial Inclusion: Evidence from Sub-Sharan Africa - The Zimbabwe Case

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
David Mhlanga
Keyword(s):  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Multinomial Logit Model ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Farm Income ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Hand Off ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Government

The study intended to investigate the factors that are important in influencing the financial inclusion of smallholder farming households in Sub-Saharan Africa with a specific focus on Zimbabwe. Motivated by the fact that there is an increase in the evidence of the importance of financial inclusion in fighting poverty and the fact that by merely having a bank account, financial inclusion cannot be guaranteed, the study went further to interrogate factors that influence smallholder farmers to have a transaction account, to borrow and to have insurance. Since the dependent variable of financial inclusion had more than two categories, with three unordered categories, transaction account, savings/credit account, and insurance, the multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate the determinants of financial inclusion from these three categories of the dependent variable. The multinomial logit model results, with insurance as the reference category, indicated that the size of the household, transaction costs, gender and agricultural extension service were the factors influencing the demand for a household to open a transaction account. On the other hand, off-farm income and age of the household were the only two factors significantly influencing households to borrow. Therefore, it is imperative for, the government of Zimbabwe to come up with more policies that encourage farmers to participate in the formal financial market as financial inclusion can help to fight poverty and the general developments of societies.   Received: 28 April 2021 / Accepted: 31 August 2021 / Published: 5 November 2021

scholarly journals Gender responsiveness diagnostic of national monitoring and evaluation systems – methodological reflections

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Madri S. Jansen van Rensburg ◽  
Caitlin Blaser Mapitsa
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Diagnostic Tool ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Capacity Development ◽  
Diagnostic Study ◽  
Evaluation Systems ◽  
National Monitoring ◽  
The Government ◽  
And Gender

Background: This article reflects on the implementation of a diagnostic study carried out to understand the gender responsiveness of the national monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems of Benin, South Africa and Uganda. Carrying out the study found that the potential for integrating the cross-cutting systems of gender and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) are strong. At the same time, it highlighted a range of challenges intersecting these two areas of work. This article explores these issues, which range from logistical to conceptual.Objectives: This article aims to share reflections from the gender diagnostic study to enable more appropriate capacity building in the field of gender responsiveness in national M&E systems. Developing more sophisticated tools to measure gender responsiveness in complex contexts is critical. A better understanding of how gender and national M&E systems intersect is important to understanding firstly how we can more accurately measure the gender responsiveness of existing systems and secondly how better to engender capacity development initiatives.Method: As part of the Twende Mbele programme, Centre for Learning on Evaluation and Results (CLEAR) commissioned Africa Gender and Development Evaluator’s Network (AGDEN) to coordinate teams of researchers in Benin, Uganda, and South Africa to collaboratively develop the diagnostic tool, and then implement it by conducting a review of key documentation and to interview officials within the government wide monitoring and evaluation systems as well as the national gender machinery in each country.Results: The study found that the gender responsiveness of M&E systems across all three systems was unequal, but more importantly, it is important to do more work on how M&E and gender are conceptualised, to ensure this can be studied in a more meaningful way. To strengthen national monitoring and evaluation systems, gender responsiveness and equity must serve as a foundation for growth. However, intersection M&E with gender is complex, and riddled with gaps in capacity, conceptual differences, and challenges bringing together disparate and complex systems.Conclusion: A stronger understanding of the linkages between M&E and gender is an important starting place for bringing them together holistically.

Smallholder farmers’ crop combinations under different land tenure systems in Thailand: The role of flood and government policy

2018 ◽  
Vol 72 ◽  
pp. 129-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thitiya Panichvejsunti ◽  
John K.M. Kuwornu ◽  
Ganesh P. Shivakoti ◽  
Clemens Grünbühel ◽  
Peeyush Soni
Keyword(s):  
Land Tenure ◽  
Government Policy ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Land Tenure Systems

scholarly journals Agricultural resilience under increasing water security threats: insights for smallholder farming in Limpopo Province, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 849-862
Author(s):  
Simbarashe Kativhu ◽  
Marizvikuru M. Mwale ◽  
Jethro Zuwarimwe
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Vision 2030 ◽  
Zero Hunger ◽  
Agricultural Resilience

Abstract Smallholder farmers in South Africa are facing increased pressure to manage water use due to growing scarcity and environmental water demand. This prompts the need to build resilient irrigation systems particularly for smallholder farmers. Building resilience is more pertinent in Limpopo province, where crop and animal production is hampered by water scarcity. Currently, there is an array of generic adaptation strategies for attaining resilient irrigation schemes in South Africa and beyond. However, the effectiveness and feasibility of these resilience measures at farm level, particularly among smallholders in marginalised areas, are not well researched in Limpopo Province. The current paper draws lessons from adaptation mechanisms in Southern Africa, indicates areas that require further studies and recommends ways for enhancing smallholder resilience against water scarcity. The article contributes to efforts for enhancing water security and fulfil the targets set in sustainable development goal 2 of zero hunger, South Africa Vision 2030, and the government's food security mandate, particularly through suggesting ways for enhancing smallholder farmer resilience and water security.

The poverty implications of high oil prices in South Africa

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Chitiga ◽  
Ismael Fofana ◽  
Ramos Mabugu
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Government Policy ◽  
Petroleum Industry ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Oil Prices ◽  
Government Revenue ◽  
Price Increases ◽  
Price Subsidy ◽  
The Government ◽  
Poverty Indicators

AbstractAn energy-focused macro-micro approach is used to assess the poverty implications of government policy response to increases in international oil prices in South Africa. The first scenario assumes that increases in international oil prices are passed on to end users with no changes in government policy instruments. In this scenario, poverty indicators increase. The second scenario assumes that the world price increases are nullified by a price subsidy by the government. This scenario still leads to an increase in poverty as the beneficial price effect is cancelled out by a decline in households’ income induced by the financing method used. While revenue generated from a 50 per cent tax on windfall profit of the petroleum industry helps to minimize the loss in government revenue, it does not contribute to mitigating the increasing poverty trend, since the decline in saving and investment under this scenario restricts the country's growth, employment and income distribution perspectives.

scholarly journals Challenges of Smallholder Farming in Ethiopia and Opportunities by Adopting Climate-Smart Agriculture

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 192
Author(s):  
Gebeyanesh Zerssa ◽  
Debela Feyssa ◽  
Dong-Gill Kim ◽  
Bettina Eichler-Löbermann
Keyword(s):  
Land Tenure ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Mitigation ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Smallholder Farming Systems ◽  
Smart Agriculture

Agriculture is the backbone of the Ethiopian economy, and the agricultural sector is dominated by smallholder farming systems. The farming systems are facing constraints such as small land size, lack of resources, and increasing degradation of soil quality that hamper sustainable crop production and food security. The effects of climate change (e.g., frequent occurrence of extreme weather events) exacerbate these problems. Applying appropriate technologies like climate-smart agriculture (CSA) can help to resolve the constraints of smallholder farming systems. This paper provides a comprehensive overview regarding opportunities and challenges of traditional and newly developed CSA practices in Ethiopia, such as integrated soil fertility management, water harvesting, and agroforestry. These practices are commonly related to drought resilience, stability of crop yields, carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas mitigation, and higher household income. However, the adoption of the practices by smallholder farmers is often limited, mainly due to shortage of cropland, land tenure issues, lack of adequate knowledge about CSA, slow return on investments, and insufficient policy and implementation schemes. It is suggested that additional measures be developed and made available to help CSA practices become more prevalent in smallholder farming systems. The measures should include the utilization of degraded and marginal lands, improvement of the soil organic matter management, provision of capacity-building opportunities and financial support, as well as the development of specific policies for smallholder farming.

scholarly journals A Review of Climate-Smart Agriculture Technology Adoption by Farming Households in Sub-Saharan Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 12130
Author(s):  
Richard Kombat ◽  
Paolo Sarfatti ◽  
Oluwole Abiodun Fatunbi
Keyword(s):  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Positive Outcome ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Smart Agriculture ◽  
Farming Households

Climate change is a major constraint to the progress of Africa’s agriculture, food, and nutrition security; its effect is tied to geographical position and driven by the limited adaptive capacity of the agricultural households. The most vulnerable stakeholder group are the smallholder farming households with limited resources and knowledge of adaptation and mitigation techniques. Sub-Saharan Africa owns more than 60% of the world’s arable land with over 85% of the farmers being smallholder farmers, who are predisposed to various risks. This paper analyzes the adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) processes and technologies by smallholder farming households in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study used mixed methods and an integrative literature review. This review indicated that the knowledge of CSA technologies by smallholder farmers in Africa is increasing and, thus, concerted efforts to continuously generate CSA technology would contribute to the desired positive outcome. To accelerate the pace of adoption and use of the technologies, the linkage of farmers, researchers, and extension practitioners is needed. Measures should also be put in place to ensure that CSA actions are implemented using bottom-up approaches.

scholarly journals Determinants of Farmers’ Participation in the Management of Smallholder Irrigation Schemes in Kwazulu-Natal Province, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6(J)) ◽  
pp. 21-32
Author(s):  
Lerato Phali ◽  
Maxwell Mudhara ◽  
Stuart Ferrer ◽  
Godswill Makombe
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Collective Responsibility ◽  
Credit Access ◽  
Rule Compliance ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
And Control ◽  
Smallholder Irrigation

Participatory Irrigation Management is an important concept in the management of water resources. It fosters collective responsibility and rule compliance, the lack of which creates a weak environment for sustainable water use. This study adopted Principal Components Analysis and Structural Equation Modelling to evaluate the determinants of farmer’s participation in the management of four smallholder irrigations schemes in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The selected schemes, Ndumo, Makhathini Flats, Mooi River and Tugela Ferry, are representative of the general management and farmer activities in smallholder irrigation schemes in the country. The study considered household data from 341 irrigators and found that those who participated in regulation and control management activities of SIS also participate in information sharing activities. The results show that agricultural training, land tenure security, credit access and co-operative membership positively influence farmers’ participation in decision making. Additionally, irrigation water adequacy positively influences farmer’s participation in making financial contributions in the schemes. The study recommends that better land agreements that, would improve the security of tenure should be put in place to foster farmer participation. Farmers should receive agricultural and irrigation training to increase the likelihood of participating in the management of irrigation schemes.

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