The use of information and communication technologies in agricultural development in rural areas: case of smallholder farmers in Umzimvubu Local Municipality
- Authors: Makaula, Zimasa
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Agricultural extension work , Information technology , Farms, Small -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Agric (Agric Extension)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/11994 , vital:39125
- Description: Proper and timeous communication amongst different social development participants is one of the main driving factors for successful human progress. Different platforms have been used by different industries across the globe to ensure that useful information is shared with relevant structures at appropriate times. The global increase on use and availability of Information Communication Technologies (ICT’s) has prompted a thorough analysis and study of their relevance on different industries. Much of the increase has been observed mainly on highly urbanized areas, where the majority of the population is literate and who are above the poverty line. Some researchers have argued that the language used in some of the ICT’s is limited to the elite few, while others highlight cost implications in the use of these ICTs. The agricultural industry is not immune to the debates that relate to the development of ICTs, it is in most cases at the center, due to its diverse nature (in terms of participation) and close linkage to human development. There seems to be a correlation between ICT usage and the economies of scale in agricultural development, where smallholder farmers tend to use less of highly modernized ICTs, while commercial large scale farmers use more of the modernized ICTs. This disparity amongst farmers is exacerbated in many areas by the differing support systems employed by the public extension services. This study was initiated in order to study the usage and relevance of the ICTs by the smallholder farmers of the Umzimvubu Local Municipality of the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. The research address the following research questions: 1. Which ICTs are owned by smallholder farmers of Umzimvubu local municipality? 2. Do smallholder farmers use ICTs to communicate agricultural information? 3. What are the types of ICT devices and services used by smallholder farmers for vi agricultural development? 4. What are the challenges faced by smallholder farmers when using ICTs to communicate agricultural information? A survey questionnaire was then developed to collect the relevant data from randomly selected six villages of Umzimvubu Local Municipality. The questionnaires structure employed both closed and open-ended questions that were administered using a face to face interview, conducted on the sample population in each village. The results indicated that the most common ICTs that were owned by smallholder farmers in the study area were: mobile phones (33%), televisions (TV) (28%), and radio (20%). The results also showed that communication amongst farmers (35%) and extension officers (35%) was the most notable use of mobile phone from the study area. The results also revealed that most smallholder farmers faced the following challenges when using ICTs to retrieve agricultural information; poor signal (40%), inconsistent broadcasting times for TV and radio agricultural programmes (35%), language barrier (15%) and lack of electricity (10%). The study, therefore, concludes that a majority of smallholder farmers from the study area own ICT devices necessary for rural agricultural development (mobile phones, TV and radio) that can be targeted by extension officers, policy makers, rural development implementing agencies and agro-industries to promote rural development. However, several challenges (language barrier, poor network signal and no electricity) limit the potential of these ICT devices and services from fully benefiting smallholder farmers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Makaula, Zimasa
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Agricultural extension work , Information technology , Farms, Small -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Agric (Agric Extension)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/11994 , vital:39125
- Description: Proper and timeous communication amongst different social development participants is one of the main driving factors for successful human progress. Different platforms have been used by different industries across the globe to ensure that useful information is shared with relevant structures at appropriate times. The global increase on use and availability of Information Communication Technologies (ICT’s) has prompted a thorough analysis and study of their relevance on different industries. Much of the increase has been observed mainly on highly urbanized areas, where the majority of the population is literate and who are above the poverty line. Some researchers have argued that the language used in some of the ICT’s is limited to the elite few, while others highlight cost implications in the use of these ICTs. The agricultural industry is not immune to the debates that relate to the development of ICTs, it is in most cases at the center, due to its diverse nature (in terms of participation) and close linkage to human development. There seems to be a correlation between ICT usage and the economies of scale in agricultural development, where smallholder farmers tend to use less of highly modernized ICTs, while commercial large scale farmers use more of the modernized ICTs. This disparity amongst farmers is exacerbated in many areas by the differing support systems employed by the public extension services. This study was initiated in order to study the usage and relevance of the ICTs by the smallholder farmers of the Umzimvubu Local Municipality of the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. The research address the following research questions: 1. Which ICTs are owned by smallholder farmers of Umzimvubu local municipality? 2. Do smallholder farmers use ICTs to communicate agricultural information? 3. What are the types of ICT devices and services used by smallholder farmers for vi agricultural development? 4. What are the challenges faced by smallholder farmers when using ICTs to communicate agricultural information? A survey questionnaire was then developed to collect the relevant data from randomly selected six villages of Umzimvubu Local Municipality. The questionnaires structure employed both closed and open-ended questions that were administered using a face to face interview, conducted on the sample population in each village. The results indicated that the most common ICTs that were owned by smallholder farmers in the study area were: mobile phones (33%), televisions (TV) (28%), and radio (20%). The results also showed that communication amongst farmers (35%) and extension officers (35%) was the most notable use of mobile phone from the study area. The results also revealed that most smallholder farmers faced the following challenges when using ICTs to retrieve agricultural information; poor signal (40%), inconsistent broadcasting times for TV and radio agricultural programmes (35%), language barrier (15%) and lack of electricity (10%). The study, therefore, concludes that a majority of smallholder farmers from the study area own ICT devices necessary for rural agricultural development (mobile phones, TV and radio) that can be targeted by extension officers, policy makers, rural development implementing agencies and agro-industries to promote rural development. However, several challenges (language barrier, poor network signal and no electricity) limit the potential of these ICT devices and services from fully benefiting smallholder farmers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
An information services framework for commercial extension services
- Authors: Simpson, Antony Paul
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Agricultural extension work , Business networks , Information resources management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/8575 , vital:26408
- Description: The first of the eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals for 2015 is to “Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger”. Achieving this goal would be aided by having an effective and productive agricultural community. Agricultural organisations assist producers to be more effective in their operation through Commercial Extension Services (CES). Through CES, producers are advised and educated about new agricultural practices, techniques and products. A key component of CES is the provision of relevant information to producers. The problem this research addressed was that producers experience difficulty in accessing the information they require in a timeous, relevant and personalised manner. No suitable framework was found for agricultural organisations to use when designing and implementing an Information Services Platform. The main research objective was to develop and evaluate an Information Services Framework (ISF) for organisations offering information as a CES. The research methodology used to achieve this objective was Design Science Research (DSR). DSR is an iterative methodology with three cycles, namely the relevance, the design and the rigor cycles. The relevance cycle was used to acquire the information required to inform the design cycle. The information was collected by using literature research and empirical studies. The first study, the Producer Information Requirements Survey (PIRS) sought to determine the information requirements of grain producers and was conducted by interviewing grain producers in the Swartland region of South Africa. The second study, the Internet and Mobile Device Usage Survey (IMDUS) investigated the use of the Internet and mobile devices amongst South African producers by means of a national on-line survey. The quantitative and qualitative results of the analysis were used during the design phase to develop the ISF. The design phase of DSR process led to the creation of an ISF for providing Information as a Service (IaaS) in CES. The framework allows for information services to be provided in a manner and form customised to an individual producer’s preferences. The foundation of the framework is that information can be sourced from various sources, internal or external to the organisation and distributed to producers by using a unified platform. During the research, an agricultural organisation, BKB GrainCo used the proposed ISF to develop an Information Services Platform (ISP) to provide information to its producers. BKB GrainCo’s development process included two evaluations. The first evaluation, the Information Preferences Prototype Survey, was intended to test a key component of the framework, the nformation Preferences Profile. The Information Preferences Profile was conceptualized following the PIRS. In the PIRS it was determined that individual producers would prefer to specify what information they would receive, when they required it and have it delivered by using a medium of their choice. The second evaluation of the design phase was a Usability Study. The Usability Study was intended to test the functionality of the system across various technologies. The rigor cycle, following the implementation of BKB GrainCo’s ISP, contained the main evaluation, the Information Services Platform Evaluation. The evaluation was used to test the impact of BKB GrainCo’s ISP on perception of received service. The evaluation used a standardised version of the standardised SERVQUAL instrument specifically adapted in this research to measure the provision of IaaS. The results obtained during the evaluation indicated that the BKB GrainCo’s Information Services Platform was found to be valued by producers and improved the communication services of agricultural organisations. It was inferred from the successful implementation of BKB GrainCo’s ISP and the positive response from producers, after the evaluations, that the developed ISF was suitable for an agricultural organisation to provide CES. The theoretical contributions included underpinning the concept of CES in terms of stakeholder theory. Its underpinning provides justification for agricultural organisations to improve CES – including the provision of information. A second theoretical contribution was the extension of SERVQUAL as an IS theory by developing and validating a dimension designed to test the provision of IaaS. Providing producers with accurate and reliable personalised information has the capacity to improve producers’ ability to make informed decisions. Informed decision making will contribute to having an effective and productive agricultural community; resulting in improvement of agricultural output and contributing to food security and job creation. Improved agricultural output, better food security and job creation are aspects which will contribute toward the attainment of the first of eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals for 2015, which is to “Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger”.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Simpson, Antony Paul
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Agricultural extension work , Business networks , Information resources management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/8575 , vital:26408
- Description: The first of the eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals for 2015 is to “Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger”. Achieving this goal would be aided by having an effective and productive agricultural community. Agricultural organisations assist producers to be more effective in their operation through Commercial Extension Services (CES). Through CES, producers are advised and educated about new agricultural practices, techniques and products. A key component of CES is the provision of relevant information to producers. The problem this research addressed was that producers experience difficulty in accessing the information they require in a timeous, relevant and personalised manner. No suitable framework was found for agricultural organisations to use when designing and implementing an Information Services Platform. The main research objective was to develop and evaluate an Information Services Framework (ISF) for organisations offering information as a CES. The research methodology used to achieve this objective was Design Science Research (DSR). DSR is an iterative methodology with three cycles, namely the relevance, the design and the rigor cycles. The relevance cycle was used to acquire the information required to inform the design cycle. The information was collected by using literature research and empirical studies. The first study, the Producer Information Requirements Survey (PIRS) sought to determine the information requirements of grain producers and was conducted by interviewing grain producers in the Swartland region of South Africa. The second study, the Internet and Mobile Device Usage Survey (IMDUS) investigated the use of the Internet and mobile devices amongst South African producers by means of a national on-line survey. The quantitative and qualitative results of the analysis were used during the design phase to develop the ISF. The design phase of DSR process led to the creation of an ISF for providing Information as a Service (IaaS) in CES. The framework allows for information services to be provided in a manner and form customised to an individual producer’s preferences. The foundation of the framework is that information can be sourced from various sources, internal or external to the organisation and distributed to producers by using a unified platform. During the research, an agricultural organisation, BKB GrainCo used the proposed ISF to develop an Information Services Platform (ISP) to provide information to its producers. BKB GrainCo’s development process included two evaluations. The first evaluation, the Information Preferences Prototype Survey, was intended to test a key component of the framework, the nformation Preferences Profile. The Information Preferences Profile was conceptualized following the PIRS. In the PIRS it was determined that individual producers would prefer to specify what information they would receive, when they required it and have it delivered by using a medium of their choice. The second evaluation of the design phase was a Usability Study. The Usability Study was intended to test the functionality of the system across various technologies. The rigor cycle, following the implementation of BKB GrainCo’s ISP, contained the main evaluation, the Information Services Platform Evaluation. The evaluation was used to test the impact of BKB GrainCo’s ISP on perception of received service. The evaluation used a standardised version of the standardised SERVQUAL instrument specifically adapted in this research to measure the provision of IaaS. The results obtained during the evaluation indicated that the BKB GrainCo’s Information Services Platform was found to be valued by producers and improved the communication services of agricultural organisations. It was inferred from the successful implementation of BKB GrainCo’s ISP and the positive response from producers, after the evaluations, that the developed ISF was suitable for an agricultural organisation to provide CES. The theoretical contributions included underpinning the concept of CES in terms of stakeholder theory. Its underpinning provides justification for agricultural organisations to improve CES – including the provision of information. A second theoretical contribution was the extension of SERVQUAL as an IS theory by developing and validating a dimension designed to test the provision of IaaS. Providing producers with accurate and reliable personalised information has the capacity to improve producers’ ability to make informed decisions. Informed decision making will contribute to having an effective and productive agricultural community; resulting in improvement of agricultural output and contributing to food security and job creation. Improved agricultural output, better food security and job creation are aspects which will contribute toward the attainment of the first of eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals for 2015, which is to “Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger”.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Effectiveness of the high value crop-based extension model in improving rural livelihoods
- Jakavula, Siyabulela Cornelius
- Authors: Jakavula, Siyabulela Cornelius
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Crops -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural extension work , Agricultural administration -- South Africa , Agriculture -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Food security -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Food supply -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable agriculture -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc Agric (Agricultural Economics)
- Identifier: vital:11202 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1007533 , Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Crops -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural extension work , Agricultural administration -- South Africa , Agriculture -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Food security -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Food supply -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable agriculture -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: The problem that is researched in this study relates to the effectiveness of the extension model applied in the High Value Crop programme in improving rural livelihoods in the Eastern Cape. The extent of poverty in rural areas in the Eastern Cape motivated for the intervention of the Is‘Baya through the introduction of Integrated Village Renewal Programme (IVRP). The need to improve the quality of life of rural households through the promotion of agriculture and industry gave rise to the collaborative effort between the Is‘Baya Development Trust and Agricultural Research Council (ARC) in South Africa. The HVC programme was established to mitigate the effects of food shortage and poverty through the production of fruit trees, herbs and vegetables at household level. Evaluation of the effectiveness of this collaborative effort was carried out in four local municipalities of the OR Tambo District and these included: King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality (Zangci); Nyadeni municipality (Hluleka); Port St Johns municipality (Noqhekwana) and Ngquza Hill municipality (Hombe). An equal number of villages where Siyazondla was implemented by DRDAR were visited for the survey to relate the extension model applied with HVC. The villages visited included: OR Tambo (Mhlontlo local municipality) Xhokonxa village; Amathole (Amahlathi local municipality) Ndakana village, (Ngqushwa local municipality) Mgababa village and (Mbhashe local municipality) Mbanyana village. The broad objective of the study therefore, was to evaluate the effectiveness of the extension model applied on the HVC programme as well as to identify the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders involved in the model. The specific objectives of the study were to describe the HVC based extension model as it is currently organized and implemented in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa in relation to the erstwhile Siyazondla programme, to establish the effectiveness of the extension model in terms of skills transfer and capacity development, to determine the socio-economic impact of the extension model on the livelihood of involved households, to establish the extent to which the extension model has empowered women and youths and to study the factors that has contributed to the sustainability of the extension model. In carrying out this research and in line with the practice of Agricultural Research for Development (ARD), qualitative and quantitative methods of information gathering were applied. Group approach such as the Rural Rapid Appraisal (RRA) and the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) methods of data collection were used. These tools include semi-structured interviews, focus-group discussions, transect walks, seasonal calendars, key-informant interviews, resource maps and secondary data. A sample of 149 respondents was selected from eight villages in the OR Tambo and Amathole districts. The HVC model was analysed using qualitative approach, descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The Is‘Baya/ARC extension model is thus said to be effective in meeting the objectives of the HVC programme due to the efficient transfer of skills and technology and its positive impact on the livelihood of the people. There was also an improvement of the income and food security status of the rural dwellers in O.R Tambo district. The regression analysis model was applied and the results of the model were significant to the highest income earned. Out of 22 explanatory variables fitted in the regression model, 12 were significant. The R² and adjusted R² are 73 percent and 68 percent respectively which shows the significance of the fitted variables in the model. The very high F value of 15.427 shows strong significance of the fitted variables to the model. The study therefore concluded that the HVC based extension model implemented by Is‘Baya and ARC was very effective in improving rural livelihoods. The study further recommended investment in infrastructure, market linkages, value adding, public-private partnerships, creation of tenure security, investigation of different funding sources, investment on agricultural research, extension of skills provided and implementation of similar model by the public sector.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
- Authors: Jakavula, Siyabulela Cornelius
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Crops -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural extension work , Agricultural administration -- South Africa , Agriculture -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Food security -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Food supply -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable agriculture -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc Agric (Agricultural Economics)
- Identifier: vital:11202 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1007533 , Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Crops -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural extension work , Agricultural administration -- South Africa , Agriculture -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Food security -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Food supply -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable agriculture -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: The problem that is researched in this study relates to the effectiveness of the extension model applied in the High Value Crop programme in improving rural livelihoods in the Eastern Cape. The extent of poverty in rural areas in the Eastern Cape motivated for the intervention of the Is‘Baya through the introduction of Integrated Village Renewal Programme (IVRP). The need to improve the quality of life of rural households through the promotion of agriculture and industry gave rise to the collaborative effort between the Is‘Baya Development Trust and Agricultural Research Council (ARC) in South Africa. The HVC programme was established to mitigate the effects of food shortage and poverty through the production of fruit trees, herbs and vegetables at household level. Evaluation of the effectiveness of this collaborative effort was carried out in four local municipalities of the OR Tambo District and these included: King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality (Zangci); Nyadeni municipality (Hluleka); Port St Johns municipality (Noqhekwana) and Ngquza Hill municipality (Hombe). An equal number of villages where Siyazondla was implemented by DRDAR were visited for the survey to relate the extension model applied with HVC. The villages visited included: OR Tambo (Mhlontlo local municipality) Xhokonxa village; Amathole (Amahlathi local municipality) Ndakana village, (Ngqushwa local municipality) Mgababa village and (Mbhashe local municipality) Mbanyana village. The broad objective of the study therefore, was to evaluate the effectiveness of the extension model applied on the HVC programme as well as to identify the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders involved in the model. The specific objectives of the study were to describe the HVC based extension model as it is currently organized and implemented in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa in relation to the erstwhile Siyazondla programme, to establish the effectiveness of the extension model in terms of skills transfer and capacity development, to determine the socio-economic impact of the extension model on the livelihood of involved households, to establish the extent to which the extension model has empowered women and youths and to study the factors that has contributed to the sustainability of the extension model. In carrying out this research and in line with the practice of Agricultural Research for Development (ARD), qualitative and quantitative methods of information gathering were applied. Group approach such as the Rural Rapid Appraisal (RRA) and the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) methods of data collection were used. These tools include semi-structured interviews, focus-group discussions, transect walks, seasonal calendars, key-informant interviews, resource maps and secondary data. A sample of 149 respondents was selected from eight villages in the OR Tambo and Amathole districts. The HVC model was analysed using qualitative approach, descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The Is‘Baya/ARC extension model is thus said to be effective in meeting the objectives of the HVC programme due to the efficient transfer of skills and technology and its positive impact on the livelihood of the people. There was also an improvement of the income and food security status of the rural dwellers in O.R Tambo district. The regression analysis model was applied and the results of the model were significant to the highest income earned. Out of 22 explanatory variables fitted in the regression model, 12 were significant. The R² and adjusted R² are 73 percent and 68 percent respectively which shows the significance of the fitted variables in the model. The very high F value of 15.427 shows strong significance of the fitted variables to the model. The study therefore concluded that the HVC based extension model implemented by Is‘Baya and ARC was very effective in improving rural livelihoods. The study further recommended investment in infrastructure, market linkages, value adding, public-private partnerships, creation of tenure security, investigation of different funding sources, investment on agricultural research, extension of skills provided and implementation of similar model by the public sector.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
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