Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The mining bubble is over, and mining companies in South Africa are under pressure to remain viable concerns. This forces companies to cut their cost through organisational restructuring, closing down of mines and cost-saving technologies. All of these result in job losses in the mining sector. However, the companies do have a social responsibility to help uplift and create jobs in the mining areas and labour-sending regions. The study reviews examples of corporate-social-development projects of mines that relate to agriculture. Furthermore, the study looks at projects stemming from the government’s desire for land reform and rural social-economic upliftment of previously disadvantaged communities. In this context contract farming is an ideal way to tackle comprehensively the re-employment challenges. Against that background, which combines literature review and brief summaries of case studies, the dissertation reviews contract farming as an approach towards agricultural development and job creation. The lessons from the socio-economic development projects, rural-reforms and contract-farming projects are used as inputs to evolve a framework for the local approach to contract farming, related to mining areas. This includes considerations of implementation challenges likely to be experienced.

Thesis (MBA) -- Stellenbosch University, 2011. / Extensive literature exists on the challenges that hinder the growth and development of small-scale farmers in agriculture. These small-scale farmers’ challenges can be broadly classified into financial, technical and market challenges. Despite the awareness and the debate that favours progressing small-scale farmers from subsistence agriculture to commercial agriculture, financiers consider this group of farmers as of high risk and low returns. The emergence of contract farming as a mechanism to integrate small-scale farmers with agribusiness firms, agro-industrial companies, supermarket chains, and processors of agricultural produce has rescued the small-scale farmers from going into oblivion. Contract farming promises benefits for both the farmers and the contract sponsors. In the face of the benefits that contract farming hold, the concept has been critiqued as being an exploitative mechanism that contract sponsors use on the growers. This research evaluates the contract farming arrangement between Gledhow Sugar Company and Mansomini Farmers’ Cooperative. The study assesses how the scheme plays a part in the provision of access to finance, technical support and a guaranteed market access for the small sugarcane farmers. It explores how Gledhow Sugar Company’s structures manage to reduce the associated risk in providing finance to the small-scale farmers. The analysis of findings from the interviews confirms that the structure provides the small-scale sugarcane farmers with finance, technical support and a guaranteed market. However, for Gledhow Sugar Company to continuously achieve its aim and simultaneously develop the farmers there is a need for Gledhow Sugar Company to provide the farmers with more clarity on their role in the arrangement and to make the farmers embrace the long-term vision of the contractual arrangement.