South African government palliative funds for agriculture amid Covid-19: Challenges of implementation and suggestions for improvements

The novel Corona virus pandemic has been extremely overwhelming at all levels causing massive economic setbacks for many countries including South Africa. The country witnessed an unprecedented scaling-down of its national economic activities, which called for an emergency response from the government. Several Covid-19 relief schemes were instituted by the government to ensure that farms of all sizes would survive. A support fund of R1.2 billion was allocated to the agriculture and food sector through the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD). The fund was primarily meant to assist financially distressed small-scale farmers to ensure continued production and food security for the country. This study collated the conditions for financial Covid-19 stimulus support required from smallholders and analysed several factors that prevented some members of this vulnerable group from benefitting from the relief funds. These factors include complexities associated with satisfactorily categorizing smallholder producers, productivity, marketing and policy challenges, glitches in formalising smallholder producer operations, the farm-business record keeping pitfall, and the exclusion of subsistent producers. The paper suggests some possible corrective measures that could allow for more inclusive support to these categories of farmers; some of which includes a simple but robust financial traceability system for the farmers, and a need to continue to push for the completion of national registration process of smallholder producers.

An exploration of government administrative processes in supporting agro-smallholders’ access to municipal markets in eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal Province

Background: The government’s inability to ensure that both the local and the national markets adequately accommodate smallholder producers is inhibiting the sector’s ability to grow and expand.Aim: This article explored the influence of the governmental administrative processes on agro-smallholders’ ability to access municipal markets.Setting: The study is based in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), specifically in the eThekwini Municipality. The target population is agricultural (agro-) smallholder producers who are located within the traditional leadership and government officials (KZN Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and eThekwini Municipality).Methods: A qualitative exploratory research methodology using semi-structured interviews was adopted for this study.Results: The results showed that the government structures and municipal markets do not provide substantial support to agro-smallholder producers who are seeking access to markets. The results further showed that there is no integration or relationship between the government institutions on the issues related to the promotion and development of agro-smallholder producers.Conclusion: Through the application of administrative theory, the article posited the recommendations that the government institutions should incorporate stakeholders’ insights, lay a policy foundation for a whole-of-government approach to planning and set the direction for agro-smallholder’s planned future. It is also recommended that the government departments create a single planning and coordination structure or forum that will be beneficial to the smallholder sub-sector and avoid duplication and resource wastage directed to this sub-sector.

The Effects of rural income project on silk exports and livelihood of smallholder producers in Gatsibo District, Rwanda.

Sericulture has been seen in Rwanda as an opportunity for increasing raw materials for the textile industry. Therefore, it has provided a new source of income, reduced unemployment and most likely to improve the livelihood status of poor sericulture smallholder producers by increasing their income earnings. The high yield in silk production has been pleasing due to the favourable climatic conditions for mulberry cultivation, sericulture has been seen as a potential tool to reduce poverty and also to generate foreign exchanges from exportation. The broad objective of this paper focuses on the impact of the livelihood status of smallholder producers in Rwanda. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were employed in selecting 286 sericulture households’ farmers in Gatsibo district. Data for this study were analysed using descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, paired-samples t-test, cross-tabulation and chi-square test of independence. The results of this study showed clearly a significant improvement in the livelihood of the farmers. It was gathered that 82% asserted there are organized markets available for silk exportation. 77% affirmed an improvement in their income status. The average level of income per year from cocoon production among the farmers was estimated to be $227.59. It is of topmost priority for this program to continue because its effect has a very positive impact on the livelihood status of the beneficiaries. Farmers should be provided with continuous training, access to credits. If sustained properly it will resolve future challenges and springs more opportunities for farmers and likewise to the country through exports.

The Effects of rural income project on silk exports and livelihood of smallholder producers in Gatsibo District, Rwanda

Sericulture has been seen in Rwanda as an opportunity for increasing raw materials for the textile industry. Therefore, it has provided a new source of income, reduced unemployment and most likely to improve the livelihood status of poor sericulture smallholder producers by increasing their income earnings. The high yield in silk production has been pleasing due to the favourable climatic conditions for mulberry cultivation, sericulture has been seen as a potential tool to reduce poverty and also to generate foreign exchanges from exportation. The broad objective of this paper focuses on the impact of the livelihood status of smallholder producers in Rwanda. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were employed in selecting 286 sericulture households’ farmers in Gatsibo district. Data for this study were analysed using descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, paired-samples t-test, cross-tabulation and chi-square test of independence. The results of this study showed clearly a significant improvement in the livelihood of the farmers. It was gathered that 82% asserted there are organized markets available for silk exportation. 77% affirmed an improvement in their income status. The average level of income per year from cocoon production among the farmers was estimated to be $ 227.59. It is of topmost priority for this program to continue because its effect has a very positive impact on the livelihood status of the beneficiaries. Farmers should be provided with continuous training, access to credits. If sustained properly it will resolve future challenges and springs more opportunities for farmers and likewise to the country through exports.

The Effects of rural income project on silk exports and livelihood of smallholder producers in Gatsibo District, Rwanda.

Sericulture has been seen in Rwanda as an opportunity for increasing raw materials for the textile industry. Therefore, it has provided a new source of income, reduced unemployment and most likely to improve the livelihood status of poor sericulture smallholder producers by increasing their income earnings. The high yield in silk production has been pleasing due to the favourable climatic conditions for mulberry cultivation, sericulture has been seen as a potential tool to reduce poverty and also to generate foreign exchanges from exportation. The broad objective of this paper focuses on the impact of the livelihood status of smallholder producers in Rwanda. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were employed in selecting 286 sericulture households’ farmers in Gatsibo district. Data for this study were analysed using descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, paired-samples t-test, cross-tabulation and chi-square test of independence. The results of this study showed clearly a significant improvement in the livelihood of the farmers. It was gathered that 82% asserted there are organized markets available for silk exportation. 77% affirmed an improvement in their income status. The average level of income per year from cocoon production among the farmers was estimated to be $227.59. It is of topmost priority for this program to continue because its effect has a very positive impact on the livelihood status of the beneficiaries. Farmers should be provided with continuous training, access to credits. If sustained properly it will resolve future challenges and springs more opportunities for farmers and likewise to the country through exports.