Farmer Support Programme Research Articles

The impact of the recapitalisation and development programme on agricultural productivity in South Africa

Since the dawn of democracy in 1994, the South African government has had various farmer support programmes. This study investigated the impact of the Recapitalisation and Development Programme (RADP) on agricultural production in Gauteng province, South Africa. A survey was conducted involving all 51 beneficiaries of RADP in Gauteng province. Primary data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and two-tailed t-test analysis were performed on the data using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24. The results show that the overall impact of RADP on agricultural production (crops and livestock) was not statistically significant. However, the area cultivated with maize and spinach improved significantly, while potatoes, soya beans, cabbage, tomatoes and green peas showed an insignificant increase in their cultivated area. It is recommended that key production requirements be identified to assist RADP in providing support that improves the agricultural production of the beneficiaries.

YOUNG FARMER SUPPORT IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

The countryside aging is widely considered European problem. The same could be observed at the level of farms, where in several European countries farming population is getting statistically older. Thus, this paper aims to define the main aspects of the young farmer support policies and programmes applied in the Czech Republic. Also, in addition, we tried to identify policy process which is related to young farmer issues at the level of the EU and the Czech Republic. To achieve this aim we collected the data on the support mechanism related to young farmer (below 41 years of age) mainly from the official European and Czech resources. Based on the results received we can identify large number of resources which are provided to farmers below 41 years of age or individuals starting with farming activities. We identified 2 main instruments – direct payments and investment grants, both sourced from the EU budget. At the level of the policy processes, we identified several organisations involved in lobbying however only one is exclusively oriented to young farmer issues.

Assessing the impacts of a donor-funded agricultural extension service on smallholders in Umzimkhulu, South Africa

This paper examines the impact of Lima Rural Development Foundation's (hereafter Lima) agricultural extension services to disadvantaged communities in rural South Africa. Lima's farmer support programme aims to improve smallholders' food production practices, connect them to appropriate markets, and stimulate rural agriculture's potential for creating sustainable livelihoods in some of South Africa's poorest regions. Lima believes that successful non-governmental organisation-driven agricultural extension for resource-scarce farmers is largely dependent upon a community-based model that integrates technical advice, market linkages, and access to appropriate technology, and the ongoing provision of services over time. Lima's farmer support model is briefly outlined, then an external appraisal of Lima's extension activities draws from an econometric analysis of 182 farm households surveyed in Umzimkhulu by a University of KwaZulu-Natal researcher in November to December 2013. Farmers surveyed included those who had received Lima's extension services (clients) and those who had not. Descriptive statistics computed for five outcome variables were compared across clients and a subset of non-clients that had observed characteristics similar to those of clients. The impact of extension services on each of these variables was estimated using two-stage least squares regression with an instrumental variable to account for selection bias. The survey results show that Lima's extension services had significant positive impacts on the outcomes. Discussion of results serves to guide programme design and practice for successful extension activities, and recommendations aim to inform policies for rural agricultural development.

The impact of farmer support programmes on household income and sustainability in smallholder production: A case study of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal farmers, South Africa

A number of Farmer Support Programmes have been implemented in South Africa to reduce the risk of a lack of capacity and a lack of economic and/or financial experience in smallholder farms. Intervention measures have been instituted to these smallholder farmers to assist them to move out of poverty through agricultural production. Unfortunately, smallholder farmers are further constrained by institutional obstacles which include lack of access to information, lack of technical skills, high marketing and transaction costs leading to low quality and volumes. The aim of this study was to assess the role played by Farmer Support Programmes in addressing income and welfare of smallholder farmers in South Africa. Using a Tobit and Propensity Score Matching technique potential, diffusion effects were eliminated between farmers supported by Farmer Support Programmes and farmers that do not belong to support services. Findings show that household size, education level of household head and distance to the nearest market were found to be significant at 10 and 5%. Farmer Support Programmes and collective marketing activities such as the collection and sale of members’ output appear to have a significant and positive impact on smallholder welfare of those farmers engaged in them. Key words: Smallholder farmers, farmer support programmes, income, welfare, Tobit regression, propensity score matching.

FARMER SUPPORT AND HOUSEHOLD FOOD PRODUCTION IN SOUTH AFRICA'S DEVELOPING AREAS / NAVORSINGSNOTA: BOERE ONDERSTEUNING EN HUISHOUDINGS SE VOEDSELPRODUKSIE IN SUID-AFRIKA SE ONTWIKKELENDE GEBIEDE

This research note considers the relationship between various support services to farmers and food production as well as household food security of rural households with access to communal crop and grazing land in the former “homelands”. The Farmer Support Programme (“FSP”) was implemented in selected target areas in the developing areas (“homelands”) of South Africa since 1987, with the specific aim to address the constraints faced by farmers in these areas. A three year evaluation programme of the FSP in one area Lebowa, show that the farmer support programme has improved the food security situation in these areas and contributed to a better livelihood for thousands of households in rural Lebowa. The results also confirms that the elements of the support programme can, at least partly, be related to the increase in maize production and the improved household food security situation in Lebowa.

The costs and benefits of providing agricultural support services to rural households in the developing areas of South Africa

The Farmer Support Programme was introduced specifically to deal with the constraints faced by smallholder farmers in the former homeland areas of South Africa. These farmers operate largely outsid...

Agricultural efficiency in South Africa's former homelands: Measurement and implications

This article uses data envelopment analysis to estimate agricultural efficiency in the former homelands of KaNgwane, Lebowa and Venda. Farm‐level survey data are used to estimate total production efficiency, and a distinction is drawn between technical and scale efficiency. Efficiency levels for the three ‘homelands’ are compared for the normal year of 1990/1, and then the effect of the 1992 drought year on efficiency is determined. Relatively large efficiency gains can be achieved in the homelands by redistributing more land to some farmers, in order to increase the size of farms. Those farmers who are efficient in years of normal rainfall suffer greater efficiency losses in years of drought. In particular, they incur debts which will affect their credit position in the future. The implications are importantfor the design of Farmer Support Programmes in these areas.

EFFECTS OF THE 1992 DROUGHT ON PRODUCTIVITY IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN HOMELANDS: AN APPLICATION OF THE MALMQUIST INDEX

Programming techniques are used to calculate the efficiency of maize production on farms in the Transvaal homelands of KaNgwane, Lebowa and Venda, in 1991. The productivity losses that resulted from the 1992 drought are then calculated subject to the base year by adding a measure of technical progress and constructing multilateral Malmquist indices of total factor productivity (TFP), for the same 174 farms. In Venda, the least advanced region, productivity fell by 61%, compared with 74% in Lebowa and 89% in KaNgwane, which is far more commercialised. Three causes of these differences can be identified. Firstly, the improved seed and fertiliser technology that has been introduced by the Farmer Support Programmes has increased investment and hence risk. Secondly, the improved maize varieties appear to be less resistant to moisture stress than traditional seeds and lastly, there were unrecorded regional variations in the severity of the drought.

THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE RECONSTRUCTION OF AGRICULTURE IN DEVELOPING AREAS: THE CASE OF THE NORTHERN PROVINCE / DIE ROL VAN VROUE IN DIE HEROPBOU VAN LANDBOU IN ONTWIKKELENDE GEBIEDE

This paper employs the log-linear models on the data collected from farmers participating in the Farmer Support Programme in Phokwane and Ndebele areas to determine factors that can facilitate or constrain women from being commercial oriented. The results indicate that women households heads and men are more inclined towards selling than married women, however, land and credit are major constraints. With respect to married women, improvement in the ownership status seems necessary for the success of other policy instruments.

The farmer support programme in Chatha village, Keiskammahoek district

(1995). The farmer support programme in Chatha village, Keiskammahoek district. Development Southern Africa: Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 519-534.

Serving small‐scale farmers: An evaluation of the DBSA's farmer support programmes, edited by Richard Singini & Johan van Rooyen

Serving small‐scale farmers: An evaluation of the DBSA's farmer support programmes, edited by Richard Singini & Johan van Rooyen

PROMOTING ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN AGRICULTURE IN THE EASTERN CAPE

Selected cases in developing entrepreneurship in small-scale subsistence and commercial agriculture in the Eastern Cape are examined, including the provision of marketing facilities, the training programme of the Africa Cooperative Action Trust (ACAT) in Ciskei, government sponsored irrigation projects and the farmer support programme. An attempt is made to draw general conclusions about the necessary ingredients for successful entrepreneurship and the formulation of proposals for further promoting entrepreneurship in agriculture in South Africa.

THE ROLE OF CREDIT IN THE FARMER SUPPORT PROGRAMME: IS IT THE KEY TO SUCCESS? / Die rol van krediet in die Boerdery-ondersteuningsprogram: Is dit die sleutel tot sukses?

Abstract This paper concentrates on the credit element of Farmer Support Programmes (FSP) and the financial environment in which FSP credit is applied with a view to assess the importance of the credit component in the FSP. First, the theory on rural financial markets and intermediation is briefly reviewed. This is followed by an application to the FSP. The paper concludes with some policy implications of the findings. The main points that FSP financial policy should incorporate are: avoid loan subsidies and targeting; mobilise deposits; charge positive real rates of interest; avoid concessionary discount lines; reduce transaction costs; and emulate informal finance.

ONE TO FOUR HECTARES: WHAT EFFECTS CAN A FSP STRATEGY HAVE ON SUCH HOUSEHOLDS? / Een tot vier hektaar: watter effek het die “Farmer Support” strategie op sulke huishoudings

Abstract The concept of the Farmer Support Programme (FSP) is one of serving and supporting all small farmers, including part time farmers, so that they can be more efficient in competing in agricultural resource markets and gain better control over their own destiny. Using the preliminary results from the DBSA's evaluation reports of the FSP's in Venda, Lebowa, KaNgwane and Kwazulu, this paper shows the possible effects the FSP strategy have of farmers farming on small farm size of between 1 and four hectares. This is done by comparing farmers using the FSP services and those who do not. The paper concludes that the FSP strategy has positive effects on farmers operating on small areas of 1 hectare or less, but these effects can be increased by ensuring farmers' access to more secure arable land. In addition, improved marketing structures, favourable price policies and institutional change are important requisites. It is also argued that the FSP is not a deliberate strategy to perpetuate black farmers as ...

EXPENDITURE PATTERNS OF AGRICULTURAL HOUSEHOLDS IN LEBOWA AND VENDA: EFFECTS OF THE FARMER SUPPORT PROGRAMME ON FOOD SECURITY / Bestedingspatrone van landbouhuishoudings in Lebowa en Venda: Die effek van die “Farmer Support Programme” op voedselsekerheid

Abstract The specific objective of this paper is to determine expenditure patterns of rural households with a view to evaluating factors which make households more food secured. Expenditure patterns of households participating in the Farmer Support Programme of DBSA were analysed and compared with no-participants in two areas, Lebowa and Venda. It is evident from the results of this study that a high proportion of rural households in Lebowa and Venda food insecured. Results also show that the provision of support services to subsistence fanners will help alleviate food insecurity.

Effects of farmer support programmes on consumption and investment

Effects of farmer support programmes (FSPs) of the Development Bank of Southern Africa on consumption and investment are determined by utilising cross‐sectional survey data from the Mashamba and Khakhu areas of the Venda homeland in South Africa. Income elasticities indicate that the demand for goods (staple food) produced by households increases less than the demand for purchased goods. A discriminant analysis of surplus versus deficit producers indicates that surplus production is associated with farmers who participate in the FSP (ie farmers using chemical fertilizers and purchasing inputs on credit). The existence of soil erosion, availability of ploughing services, expenditure on transport education, medical and personal items, and the existence of a savings account also play important roles in explaining the difference in production performance between surplus and deficit food‐producing households.

EFFECTS OF THE FARMER SUPPORT PROGRAMME AND CHANGES IN MARKETING POLICIES ON MAIZE PRODUCTION IN SOUTH AFRICA

This article analyses the effects of action aimed at narrowing the gap between South Africa's ‘two agricultures’, specifically the effects of the Farmer Support Programme (FSP) on structural aspects of maize production under different marketing policies. This is done by assembling a sectoral linear programming model of the South African summer‐rainfall grain‐producing area. The emphasis is on the inclusion of supply, demand and production risk. Results show that the effects of a successful FSP on specific interest groups, e.g. consumers of a specific product, or producers in a specific region, depend on the marketing policy followed, as well as on the effectiveness of the FSP. The analysis accentuates the interrelationships in South African crop production and illustrates how past policies ignored regional comparative advantages, distorted regional development and affected social welfare.

THE EFFECTS OF INCREASED EARNINGS FROM TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE IN LEBOWA / The effects of increased earnings from traditional agriculture in Lebowa/Die effekte van hoër inkomste vanuit tradisionele landbou in Lebowa

Abstract Effects of increased earnings from agriculture on consumption and investment on households in the Phokoane area of Lebowa are determined by utilising cross-sectional survey data. Income elasticities indicate that the demand for goods (staple food) produced by households increases less than the demand for purchased goods. A discriminant analysis of surplus versus deficit products indicates that surplus production is associated with farmers who participate in the Farmer Support Programme (FSP) (i.e., farmers using insecticides and purchase inputs on credit). Availability of labour, specifically female labour, also plays an important role in explaining the difference in production performance between surplus and deficit food-producing households.

Inefficient land use in KwaZulu: Causes and remedies

Rural KwaZulu is a less developed region of South Africa. Despite intense population pressure, arable land is underutilized. Grazing resources are overutilized. Supply response to price incentives and farmer support programmes is inelastic as the potential gains to farmers are limited by small farm sizes. Facilitating the land rental market could improve efficiency informing, and also has equity advantages. Institutional changes are needed to encourage land rental Overstocking occurs primarily because grazing is an open access common property resource. Unlike most solutions to overstocking (eg cattle taxes and quotas), privatization of grazing land (even in the limited sense that arable land is privately controlled) would not only encourage stock‐owners to reduce stocking rates but would also improve their incentive to upgrade herd and pasture quality. It is recommended that privatization be promoted in areas where it is more acceptable to households.

FARMING SYSTEMS RESEARCH AND EXTENSION IN SOUTH AFRICA: LESSONS OF EXPERIENCE

Abstract Agricultural researchers, extension workers and developers are faced with the problem that modem improved technology is often rejected by smallholder farmers in developing areas all over the world. The paper analyses the South African problem within the context of the needs and constraints facing smallholder farmers and rural dwellers in developing areas to secure access to markets. Development strategies are briefly proposed arguing the need for comprehensive farmer support programmes. Farming Systems Research and Extension (FSR/E) is identified as an important element of any Farmer Support Programme (FSP). The role of FSR/E in the proposed development strategy is analysed and it is concluded that FSR/E should have as its ultimate goal, the promotion of economic, social and structural change induced by technological transformation at all levels in the rural community. Lessons from five FSR/E studies in South Africa are highlighted emphasizing: a) identification for research into farmer support s...