M.Tech. Business Administration. Business School. / In South Africa emerging farm enterprises are a primary focus of government interventions with the view of improving and increasing productivity and profitability of the land redistribution beneficiaries. However, the state of productivity and profitability of the emerging farm enterprises is not well documented. The problem faced by emerging farm enterprises in South Africa is that they are not graduating from emerging to commercial farming enterprises as was expected from 1994. Smallholder farmers find it difficult to participate in the markets because of a range of constraints and barriers reducing incentives to participation. There are several factors contributing to this, but lack of information on productivity and profitability seem to champion the dilemma. Not much is known about the productivity and profitability of emerging farming enterprises. The aim of this study was to contribute to the body of knowledge, in pursuance of measures of productivity and profitability for improving the emerging farmers' situation.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, 2016. / Despite the expansive size of the Bokoni complex, our knowledge with regards to many aspects of its occupancy is limited. Due to the agriculturally centred nature of the Bokoni, it is important to understand this facet of Bokoni life from as many perspectives as possible. This project aims to take us one step closer to achieving a deeper understanding of the agricultural practices of the Bokoni people. Through my fieldwork and the processing of collected data on land management practices of this society have been explored. Additionally Khutwaneng and the Bokoni complex in general, provide an interesting case study in the role of resilience in agricultural communities. Their agricultural success is inseparably linked to the adaptive strategies employed throughout their occupancy. This allowed for the consideration of the recursive relationship between resilience and sustainability, furthering our understanding of the Bokoni complex. / LG2017

A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, 2016. / The economy of Bokoni was centred on farming, with terrace agriculture playing a fundamental role in the construction and location of village sites. This dissertation examined the recursive relationship between soil chemistry and site location at three Bokoni sites: Doornkop, Khutwaneng and Kranskloof. These sites represent the three different phases of occupation in Bokoni. Analysis focused on the correlation of Ca, Mg, K, P, NH4, NO3, CEC and %C to the site contexts. At a macro scale there are substantial similarities with regards to the geology and the soil chemistry; suggesting a strong preference for locating village sites on relatively nutrient rich clay soils. On a more localised scale chemical analysis of the different contexts of these sites (i.e. domestic areas, central enclosures, terraces and non-archaeological areas) explored the agricultural potential of the soil in the various areas. These analyses showed a distinct difference in agricultural potential of soils in stone walled areas. This profile was the result of the nutrient contribution from the underlying soils in combination with either enrichment at the time of occupation, or the ongoing influence of the stone walled structures on the soils. The enrichment of soil in residential sites, whether intentional or accidental, could explain why Bokoni villagers continually reused sites during the earlier part of the sequence, before violence repeatedly disrupted settlement, and thus choice of settlement location, in the area. / LG2017