Abstract
Adoption of improved technology tends to recalibrate labour use in agricultural production. The study examined how the adoption of various maize varieties impacted labour use in smallholder production. The study utilised a structured pre-coded questionnaire-based survey of 487 smallholder maize farmers in South Africa. The purposive sample was obtained from Ingquza Hill and Port St John’s Local Municipalities in the Eastern Cape Province. A multinomial regression model and Monte Carlo Simulation were utilised to analyse the data. Statistical Package for Social Scientist (SPSS) version 23 as well as Excel were the statistical tools utilised. Through multinomial regression analysis, the study found that weeding labour was the most significantly affected by a change in maize variety. It was observed that as maize variety transcends in use from Landrace to GMO, improved OPV and conventional hybrid, ploughing and weeding hours tend to decrease. The harvesting, storage and shelling hours tend to increase. Utilising the Monte Carlo Simulation, the study also found an increased impact of maize variety utilisation on harvesting as well as on shelling and storage labour hours. The study recommends that varieties be promoted taking cognizance of the labour dynamics to tier maximize suitability and labour-based productivity, reducing tedious labour use in ploughing and weeding, whilst promoting employment in harvesting, shelling and storage.
Highlights
Low input subsistence agriculture has been a major contributing factor to food security and improved rural livelihoods in developing countries
This is observed for maize producers in Port St John’s where the negative coefficient indicates that as the maize variety is changed from landrace to GMO, the labour hours devoted to ploughing tend to decrease
There are two prong explanations to this finding: either (1) because of improved mechanization by farmers in the study area, labour hours devoted to ploughing has substantially reduced or (2) because of extension advice concerning GMO utilization being weed or pest resistant, the ploughing labour hours to reduce weeds and pests become redundant
Summary
Low input subsistence agriculture has been a major contributing factor to food security and improved rural livelihoods in developing countries. The World Bank (2008) indicates that it is significant in sustainable development, poverty reduction and enhanced food security. Despite this significant recognition, agricultural productivity has continued to decline, with poverty levels increasing (Ouma and De Groote, 2011). Various technologies have been developed to boost agricultural production, taking aim at the two-tier impacts of increased productivity in a dynamic climatic environment. More so, this technological advancement has been more evident in the production of maize, a staple crop in most third world countries (Regier and Dalton, 2013). The country has been at the forefront in innovating Genetically Modified (GM) maize, as well as increasing use of hybrid maize in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
