Influence of institutional and technical factors on market choices of smallholder farmers in the Kat River Valley
- Authors: Jari, Bridget , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/472999 , vital:77597 , ISBN 9789086861682 , 10.3920/978-90-8686-168-2
- Description: In the age of trade liberalisation and globalisation, the world markets are increasingly being integrated. This implies that farmers in the developing world are ever more linked to consumers and corporations of the rich nations. Consequently, local farmers are facing increasing market competition, not only in international markets but in local markets as well. In an effort to withstand the market pressures, agricultural markets are now transforming to a vertically coordinated structure (Reardon and Barrett, 2000). In addition, both the private and the public sectors have made some adjustments in agricultural markets, in order to survive competition resulting from market changes.
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- Date Issued: 2012
Perceptions and values of local landscapes: implications for the conservation of biocultural diversity and intangible heritage
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Dold, Anthony P
- Date: 2012
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141442 , vital:37972 , ISBN 9789086867493 , DOI: 10.3920/978-90-8686-749-3_10
- Description: South Africa is widely recognised as a highly diverse country with regard to its people, culture, landscapes, biological resources and ecology. The importance of policies on protecting cultural diversity and how they relate to the environment is only just emerging at an international level, but in South African we find there is a complete lack of institutional support for rural communities’ attachment to local landscapes. The main objective of this case study is to improve our understanding of the meanings and values that Xhosa people (amaXhosa) of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa attach to their natural landscapes. It is clear that the amaXhosa are still intrinsically connected to their natural environment, in particular the thicket biome that is called ihlathi yesiXhosa (Xhosa forest). Access to places and spaces within the natural environment provides a sense of wellbeing, a link to ancestral spirits, a location for religious rituals, plus a wealth of culturallyinspired uses of specific species and sacred places in the landscape. We suggest that local cultural values could be incorporated into the formal conservation process.
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- Date Issued: 2012
Unlocking markets to smallholders: Lessons from South Africa
- Authors: Schalkwyk, H D V , Obi, A , Tilburg, A V , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/472833 , vital:77577 , ISBN 9789086861682 , 10.3920/978-90-8686-168-2
- Description: This book assesses the institutional, technical and market constraints as well as opportunities for smallholders, notably, emerging farmers in disadvantaged areas such as the former homelands of South Africa. Emerging farmers are previously disadvantaged black people who started or will start their business with the support of special government programs. Public support programs have been developed as part of the Black Economic Empowerment strategy of the South African government. These programs aim to improve the performance of emerging farmers. This requires, first and foremost, upgrading the emerging farmers skills by providing access to knowledge about agricultural and entrepreneurial practices. To become or to remain good farmers they also need access to suitable agricultural land and sufficient water for irrigation and for feeding their cattle. Finally, for emerging farmers to be engaged in viable farming operations, various factors need to be in place such as marketing and service institutions to give credit for agricultural inputs and investments; input markets for farm machinery, farm implements, fertilizers and quality seeds; and accessible output markets for their end products. This book develops a policy framework and potential institutional responses to unlock the relevant markets for smallholders.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Influence of institutional factors on smallholder farmers’ marketing channel choices
- Authors: Jari, Bridget , Fraser, Gavin C G , Obi, A
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/473010 , vital:77598 , ISBN 978-90-8686-132-3 , https://brill.com/edcollbook/title/68924
- Description: Smallholder farmers are faced with a range of institutional challenges in produce marketing. In turn, these challenges influence their selection of marketing channels. In this chapter, a multinomial logistic regression model was used to test the significance of institutional factors in marketing. The results are based on a case study for smallholder farmers in the Kat River Valley, in South Africa. It is shown that the statistically significant variables are access to market information, expertise on grades and standards, availability of contractual agreements, existence of extensive social capital, group participation and reliance on traditions.
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- Date Issued: 2010