Policymakers and scholars universally accept and recognise the influence of small, macro, and medium enterprises (SMMEs) on stimulating economic growth and job creation. South Africa in particular, has the challenge of a high unemployment rate, particularly among the youth, coupled with high inequality levels and stagnant economic growth over the recent years. These challenges have made the role of SMMEs even more important in South Africa. Despite the known importance of the influence of SMEs on the economy and the government initiatives to grow SMEs, SMEs continue to face challenges of access to finance and high failure rates in their start-up phases. Against this background, this study examined the key reasons SMMEs struggle to gain access to banking finance with the aim of understanding the root causes of those reasons. This study aimed to provide solutions to addressing the root causes of SMMEs inaccessibility to finance to narrowing the finance gap in this segment. The study employed the parallel convergent mixed methods approach that combined both qualitative and quantitative approaches in data collection and analysis. Convenient sampling was used to identify the SMMEs for quantitative research. The empirical evidence was collected using survey data. The survey was distributed among the SMMEs sampled. For qualitative research, purposeful sampling was used to identify the research participants. Four bank managers working specifically with SME finance were selected and approached for the research. Qualitative data was collected using semi-structured interviews. The study found that most SMMEs struggle to get access to finance with the majority citing a poor credit record as the main reason for being declined for credit. Most SMMEs are deterred from applying for banking finance and find the processes long and complicated. The study also found that the root cause of SMMEs low access to banking finance is a lack of education and understanding of bank processes and factors influencing their creditworthiness. These include poor governance by SMMEs and lack of proper bookkeeping. It is recommended that SMMEs upskill themselves with financial literacy and basic business management skills. Banks should find innovative ways of assessing creditworthiness for SMMEs and should consider other data sources. A collaboration between banks, government agents, and DFIs is advised.

Este trabalho busca compreender e mensurar as características dos produtores rurais que ampliam a probabilidade para que o mesmo tenha acesso ao crédito rural. Utilizando os dados do Levantamento das Unidades Produtivas Agropecuárias (LUPA) do Estado de São Paulo (2006/2007), que abrange todas as UPAs pertencentes aos 645 municípios do estado, foi possível detalhar as características observáveis dos produtores e das propriedades que acessaram o crédito rural em 2007. Para tanto, foi utilizado o método de Árvores de Classificação e Regressão. As estimações realizadas para todas as UPAs de estado de São Paulo mostraram que a diferença de tamanho das unidades produtivas é o principal determinante para o acesso ao crédito. Quando se analisa o acesso ao crédito para unidades produtivas de pequena, média e grande extensão, algumas variáveis apresentam maior impacto no acesso ao crédito. Para as unidades de pequena extensão (até dez hectares), a diversificação de cultura, entre cultura temporária e perene, aumenta a probabilidade dos produtores acessarem o crédito. Para propriedades de média extensão (até quinhentos hectares), a presença de vínculos institucionais, seja cooperativa, sindicato ou associação, e melhorias em gestão (uso de computador, acesso á assistência técnica oficial), além da diversificação de cultura, elevam as probabilidades de acesso ao crédito. A análise mostra também que para unidades produtivas de grande extensão as variáveis que impactam a probabilidade de acesso ao crédito rural estão relacionadas a participação em instituições (cooperado e associado), além de variáveis relacionadas à melhoria de gestão, independentemente do tipo de cultura cultivada pela UPA. / This paper aims to understand and measure the characteristics of farmers which enhance their likelihood of having access to rural credit. Using data from the Survey of Agricultural Production Units (LUPA, in portuguese) of São Paulo (2006/2007), which covers all 645 Agricultural Production Units belonging to municipalities in the state was possible to detail the observable characteristics and properties of the producers who have accessed rural credit in 2007. For this, we used the Classification and Regression Trees method. The estimates performed for all UPAs (in Portuguese) in the state of São Paulo showed that the difference in size of production units is the main determinant to access credit. When analyzing the access to credit for production units of small, medium and large extent, some variables have greater impact on access to credit. For units of small extent (up to ten hectares) the culture diversification between temporary and perennial crop, increases the likelihood of farmers to access credit. For production units of medium length (up to five hundred acres), the presence of institutional links, such as cooperative, union or association, and improvements in management (computer use, technical support officer access), and crop diversification, increase the likelihood of access to credit. The analysis also shows that for production units with large extent the variables that have more impact in the probability of access to rural credit are related to participation in institutions (cooperative and associate), and variables related to improvement management, regardless of the type of crop cultivated by UPA.

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Vincent Amanor-Boadu / Food insecurity affects 16 percent of the population in northern Ghana, making food security a major focus for many of the development programs in the country. A major initiative to overcome food insecurity may involve the development of effective storage systems to help farmers control the flow of their production to markets and, thus, have higher control over the price they receive. While the poor storage infrastructure in the region is known, there is lack of knowledge about the factors motivating farmers to utilize storage in spite of these conditions. The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding about storage behavior of smallholder maize farmers in northern Ghana. A review of the literature indicates credit plays a large role in storage behavior. The purpose of this thesis is to bridge the gap between literature on storage as a bank, and on storage as a way to ensure food security. Specific objectives include: i) estimating formal and informal credit’s effects on storage behavior of smallholder maize growers, and ii) examining the effect of credit at various levels of storage. This analysis is based on data collected on 527 farmers in Ghana’s four northernmost regions obtained from an agricultural production survey conducted in 2013 and 2014 by USAID-METSS – a project funded by the Economic Growth Office of the USAID mission in Ghana. Ordinary Least Squares modeling was employed to determine the marginal effects of formal and informal credit on storage. Additionally, quantile regression modeling estimated the marginal effects at different levels of storage, including the median. The results indicate that formal credit and on-farm storage had statistically significant negative effects on maize storage at both the mean and median, but only farm output proved to be statistically significant at different levels across the storage distribution. On-farm storage had a statistically significant negative effect on storage when compared to storing off-farm at facilities like local store rooms. Carryover storage from the previous year tested to have statistically significant negative effects on storage. Under the conceptual framework utilized for this study, the results suggest that using formal credit increases a household’s food security.

Este trabalho busca compreender e mensurar as características dos produtores rurais que ampliam a probabilidade para que o mesmo tenha acesso ao crédito rural. Utilizando os dados do Levantamento das Unidades Produtivas Agropecuárias (LUPA) do Estado de São Paulo (2006/2007), que abrange todas as UPAs pertencentes aos 645 municípios do estado, foi possível detalhar as características observáveis dos produtores e das propriedades que acessaram o crédito rural em 2007. Para tanto, foi utilizado o método de Árvores de Classificação e Regressão. As estimações realizadas para todas as UPAs de estado de São Paulo mostraram que a diferença de tamanho das unidades produtivas é o principal determinante para o acesso ao crédito. Quando se analisa o acesso ao crédito para unidades produtivas de pequena, média e grande extensão, algumas variáveis apresentam maior impacto no acesso ao crédito. Para as unidades de pequena extensão (até dez hectares), a diversificação de cultura, entre cultura temporária e perene, aumenta a probabilidade dos produtores acessarem o crédito. Para propriedades de média extensão (até quinhentos hectares), a presença de vínculos institucionais, seja cooperativa, sindicato ou associação, e melhorias em gestão (uso de computador, acesso á assistência técnica oficial), além da diversificação de cultura, elevam as probabilidades de acesso ao crédito. A análise mostra também que para unidades produtivas de grande extensão as variáveis que impactam a probabilidade de acesso ao crédito rural estão relacionadas a participação em instituições (cooperado e associado), além de variáveis relacionadas à melhoria de gestão, independentemente do tipo de cultura cultivada pela UPA. / This paper aims to understand and measure the characteristics of farmers which enhance their likelihood of having access to rural credit. Using data from the Survey of Agricultural Production Units (LUPA, in portuguese) of São Paulo (2006/2007), which covers all 645 Agricultural Production Units belonging to municipalities in the state was possible to detail the observable characteristics and properties of the producers who have accessed rural credit in 2007. For this, we used the Classification and Regression Trees method. The estimates performed for all UPAs (in Portuguese) in the state of São Paulo showed that the difference in size of production units is the main determinant to access credit. When analyzing the access to credit for production units of small, medium and large extent, some variables have greater impact on access to credit. For units of small extent (up to ten hectares) the culture diversification between temporary and perennial crop, increases the likelihood of farmers to access credit. For production units of medium length (up to five hundred acres), the presence of institutional links, such as cooperative, union or association, and improvements in management (computer use, technical support officer access), and crop diversification, increase the likelihood of access to credit. The analysis also shows that for production units with large extent the variables that have more impact in the probability of access to rural credit are related to participation in institutions (cooperative and associate), and variables related to improvement management, regardless of the type of crop cultivated by UPA.

Development work focused on gender equality usually concentrates on easily measurable practical needs, but rarely on structural change and social justice. The purpose of the present research is to analyze a women’s grassroots organization’s (MBUP) role in promoting social change through Self-help groups, a medium commonly used to give women access to credit. The analysis explores how collective action can bring about structural change to oppressive gender norms. Drawing on a power-conscious feminist approach, the study involves 32 in depth qualitative interviews. The findings show that MBUP is promoting social change and women’s rights in certain ways, namely in creating social awareness in women, access to information for women, and active citizenship in women. However, the organization is limited in encouraging systemic change through the promotion of collective struggle. Moreover, while the organization is inclusive and displays diversity in the entirety of its structure, its critical introspection remains limited.

Development work focused on gender equality usually concentrates on easily measurable practical needs, but rarely on structural change and social justice. The purpose of the present research is to analyze a women’s grassroots organization’s (MBUP) role in promoting social change through Self-help groups, a medium commonly used to give women access to credit. The analysis explores how collective action can bring about structural change to oppressive gender norms. Drawing on a power-conscious feminist approach, the study involves 32 in depth qualitative interviews. The findings show that MBUP is promoting social change and women’s rights in certain ways, namely in creating social awareness in women, access to information for women, and active citizenship in women. However, the organization is limited in encouraging systemic change through the promotion of collective struggle. Moreover, while the organization is inclusive and displays diversity in the entirety of its structure, its critical introspection remains limited.

Development work focused on gender equality usually concentrates on easily measurable practical needs, but rarely on structural change and social justice. The purpose of the present research is to analyze a women’s grassroots organization’s (MBUP) role in promoting social change through Self-help groups, a medium commonly used to give women access to credit. The analysis explores how collective action can bring about structural change to oppressive gender norms. Drawing on a power-conscious feminist approach, the study involves 32 in depth qualitative interviews. The findings show that MBUP is promoting social change and women’s rights in certain ways, namely in creating social awareness in women, access to information for women, and active citizenship in women. However, the organization is limited in encouraging systemic change through the promotion of collective struggle. Moreover, while the organization is inclusive and displays diversity in the entirety of its structure, its critical introspection remains limited.

Development work focused on gender equality usually concentrates on easily measurable practical needs, but rarely on structural change and social justice. The purpose of the present research is to analyze a women’s grassroots organization’s (MBUP) role in promoting social change through Self-help groups, a medium commonly used to give women access to credit. The analysis explores how collective action can bring about structural change to oppressive gender norms. Drawing on a power-conscious feminist approach, the study involves 32 in depth qualitative interviews. The findings show that MBUP is promoting social change and women’s rights in certain ways, namely in creating social awareness in women, access to information for women, and active citizenship in women. However, the organization is limited in encouraging systemic change through the promotion of collective struggle. Moreover, while the organization is inclusive and displays diversity in the entirety of its structure, its critical introspection remains limited.

Thesis (M.Sc. Agriculture (Agricultural Economics) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Agriculture has long been argued to be the dominant sector of the South African economy. Despite the huge agricultural potential of the country, the agricultural sector is underperforming in Less Developing Countries (LDCs) to some extent because female small-scale farmers, who play a vital role in agriculture, encounter credit constraints because of their gender and this in turn reduce their productivity. Therefore, the gender gap in terms of access to credit indicates that there is a need to reassess the problem of credit access by small-scale farmers on the basis of gender. This study was carried out in the Greater Letaba Municipality (GLM) which is situated in the Mopani District of Limpopo Province, with the aim of analysing factors that influence formal credit access by both female and male small-scale farmers. Structured questionnaires were employed to collect the data for the analyses from 140 sampled small-scale farmers (70 males and 70 females) selected using stratified random sampling technique. The findings of the probit regression model discovered that gender, extension services, land ownership, age, collateral and farm size had a significant positive influence on small-scale farmers` access to formal credit in the GLM. Additionally, the findings further revealed that household size, farming experience, farm-income, marital status had an insignificant negative influence on the small-scale farmers` access to formal credit whereas education level had an insignificant positive influence on the small-scale farmers` access to formal credit. On average, male and female small-scale farmers with access to formal credit were 71 % and 29 %, respectively whereas the male and female small-scale farmers without access to formal credit were 35% and 65%, respectively. The female small-scale farmers` perceptions towards the credit system that were derived from the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) are as follows: (i) male smallscale farmers effortlessly get credit from banks contrasted with their female counterparts, (ii) small-scale farmers with more education and collateral tend to access formal credit than their counterparts and (iii) small-scale farmers who are nearest to iii the banks are more likely to access credit than small-scale farmers who are far away. Based on the study findings, a set of recommendations for achieving equitable formal credit access by male and female small-scale farmers were put forward. / National Research Fund (NRF)

Hoy en día, las Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas (PYMES) son consideradas como una fuente de crecimiento, empleo e inclusión social; sin embargo, estas sufren de limitaciones recurrentes respecto al acceso al crédito sobre todo si son lideradas por mujeres. Por ello, la presente investigación tiene como objetivo determinar la existencia de discriminación de género en el acceso al crédito en PYMES en el Perú en el año 2017 mediante la Encuesta Nacional de Empresas 2018 (ENE) para lo cual se utilizara un modelo econométrico Probit y se analizaran variables como edad, educación del propietario, sector económico, etc., lo cual demuestra que la probabilidad de que una PYME logre acceder al crédito disminuye cuando este presenta como propietario una mujer y afirmando la hipótesis sobre si en realidad la estructura de la empresa varía dependiendo del sexo del propietario de la PYME teniendo énfasis en la educación del propietario y sector económico al cual la PYME pertenece. / Nowadays, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are considered a source of growth, employment, and social inclusion; however, they suffer from recurrent limitations in access to credit, especially if they are led by women. For that, reason, the aim of this research is to determine the existence of gender discrimination in access to credit in SMEs in Peru in 2017 through the National Survey of Companies 2018 (ENE). To do so, a Probit econometric model will be used and variables such as age, owner's education, economic sector, etc. will be analyzed, which shows that the probability of an SME gaining access to credit decreases when the owner is a woman and affirms the hypothesis that the structure of the business varies depending on the sex of the SME owner, with emphasis on the education of the owner and the economic sector to which the SME belongs. / Trabajo de investigación