Thesis (M.Agric. (Agricultural Economics)) --University of Limpopo, 2011 / Maize is the most important cereal crop grown in South Africa. This crop is produced throughout the country under diverse environments. The study only focuses on the technical efficiency because it is an important subject in developing agriculture where resources are limited, but high population growth is very common. Technical efficiency is the ability of a farmer to obtain output from a given set of physical inputs. Farmers have a tendency of under and/or over- utilising the factors of production. The main aim of this study was to analyse the technical efficiency of small-scale maize producers in Ga-Mothiba rural community of Limpopo Province. The objective of the study was to determine the level of technical efficiency of small- scale maize producers and to identify the socio-economic characteristics that influence technical efficiency of small-scale maize producers in Ga-Mothiba. Purposive and Snowball sampling techniques were used to collect primary data from 120 small-scale farmers. Cobb-Douglas production function was used to determine the level of technical efficiency and Logistic regression model was used to analyse the variables that have influence the technical efficiency of maize production. Cobb-Douglas results reveal that small-scale farmers in Ga-Mothiba are experiencing technical inefficiency in maize production due to the decreasing return to scale, which means they are over-utilising factors of production. Logistic regression results indicate that out of 13 variables included in the analysis as socio-economic factors, 10 of them (level of education, income of the household on monthly basis, farmer`s farming experience, farm size, cost of tractor hours, fertiliser application, purchased hybrid maize seeds, membership to farmers` organisation, is maize profitable) were found to be significant and 3 (gender, age and hired labour) are non-significant. However, farm size was found to be the most significant variable at 99% level, showing a positive relationship to small- scale maize producer`s technical efficiency.Therefore, it is recommended that government should do the on-farm training since farmers mainly depend on trial and error and farmers` should have access to enough arable land and tractor services. However, farmers need to be trained on matters relating to fertiliser application, on the amount of seeds a farmer should apply per ha, and the importance of using hybrid seed.

Thesis (M.Sc. Agric.) --University of Limpopo, 2011 / Maize is the most important cereal crop grown in South Africa. This crop is produced throughout the country under diverse environments. The study only focuses on the technical efficiency because it is an important subject in developing agriculture where resources are limited, but high population growth is very common. Technical efficiency is the ability of a farmer to obtain output from a given set of physical inputs. Farmers have a tendency of under and/or over- utilising the factors of production. The main aim of this study was to analyse the technical efficiency of small-scale maize producers in Ga-Mothiba rural community of Limpopo Province. The objective of the study was to determine the level of technical efficiency of small- scale maize producers and to identify the socio-economic characteristics that influence technical efficiency of small-scale maize producers in Ga-Mothiba. Purposive and Snowball sampling techniques were used to collect primary data from 120 small-scale farmers. Cobb-Douglas production function was used to determine the level of technical efficiency and Logistic regression model was used to analyse the variables that have influence the technical efficiency of maize production. Cobb-Douglas results reveal that small-scale farmers in Ga-Mothiba are experiencing technical inefficiency in maize production due to the decreasing return to scale, which means they are over-utilising factors of production. Logistic regression results indicate that out of 13 variables included in the analysis as socio-economic factors, 10 of them (level of education, income of the household on monthly basis, farmer`s farming experience, farm size, cost of tractor hours, fertiliser application, purchased hybrid maize seeds, membership to farmers` organisation, is maize profitable) were found to be significant and 3 (gender, age and hired labour) are non-significant. However, farm size was found to be the most significant variable at 99% level, showing a positive relationship to small- scale maize producer`s technical efficiency. Therefore, it is recommended that government should do the on-farm training since farmers mainly depend on trial and error and farmers` should have access to enough arable land and tractor services. However, farmers need to be trained on matters relating to fertiliser application, on the amount of seeds a farmer should apply per ha, and the importance of using hybrid seed.

Thesis (M. A. Agricultural Management (Agricultural Extension)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Smallholder farmers’ need for regular supply of adequate, quality and affordable seed led to the establishments of Community-Based Maize Seed Production Schemes (CBSPSs) in most developing countries, including South Africa. In view of the important influence of perception on the adoption and continued use of an innovation, this study was undertaken to evaluate farmers’ perceptions of CBSPSs in Polokwane and Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipalities of Limpopo province. The conceptualization of perception used in this study was based on the Düvel (1991) framework. The evaluation focused on whether planting the scheme’s main product, improved Open-Pollinated Varieties (improved OPV maize) seed meets farmers’ needs based on their perceptions and the extent of farmers’ planting of improved OPV maize. A census approach was used in view of the small numbers of seed producers in the schemes; all scheme members (50) were, therefore, interviewed between 27 March and 21 April 2017. To allow for comparison, an equal number of farmers (50) who were not members of the scheme were also interviewed. Data was collected from farmers using a semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to analyze the data using SPSS software. A binary logistic model was used to analyze factors that influence farmer perceptions on OPV benefits. The study findings showed that there is a significant relationship between awareness knowledge of improved OPV maize and planting of improved OPV maize. Furthermore, the results showed that farmers perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of improved OPV maize seed were not different among scheme and non-scheme members as they were all in agreement that improved OPV maize have more benefits than their own previously recycled seeds. Finally, findings showed that respondents municipality and scheme membership had a significant, effect on the positive perception of planting improved OPV maize seeds. Other explanatory variables such as sex, farming experience, years of viii schooling, farm size, income and age of participants had no significant effect on farmer perceptions. It is therefore recommended that improved OPV maize be made widely available and promoted based on its advantages to enhance its adoption. Future studies on these seed schemes could look into the production and financial analysis of CBSPSs to ascertain their profitability and sustainability. / Agricultural Research Council (ARC)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:51:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissRARJ.pdf: 1930702 bytes, checksum: a1b0d68f6f193815099874af8118a5e1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-05-23 / The production of corn seeds involves a complex agro-industrial production chain whose main agents must offer products of high quality and low price to stay competitive. Efficient tools to coordinate this chain are thus essential to fulfill these conditions. This work proposes a linear programming model for the strategic planning of production, storing and transportation, designed to minimize production, transportation and tax costs. The model is a function of crop planning, capacity and client demand restrictions. Although relevant to the product s final cost, taxes are not traditionally considered by the planning methods currently used by the seed industry. The raw material is generally sent to the industrial unit closest to the farm; proximity to the end consumer is of secondary importance. The main productive processes and features of the seed industry described here are based on literature and visits to plants that produce corn seeds. The mathematical model detailed in this work is implemented using the GAMS programming language and the resulting system of equations solved with CPLEX. The model was validated by using different scenarios with real-world data collected during the visits to the plants; the results were consistent with those expected. Next, the results given by the model of a case study with data for an entire season were compared against those obtained by one of the companies employing the traditional method of shortest distance between farm and industrial unit. The proposed model showed a substantial decrease in total cost when compared to the traditional method. This study also confirmed the importance of integrating taxes with production and transportation planning at the logistics level. / A produção de sementes de milho envolve uma cadeia de produção agroindustrial complexa cujos agentes devem primar por oferecer produtos de alta qualidade a um baixo custo para se manterem competitivos no mercado. Instrumentos eficientes para a coordenação dessa cadeia são fundamentais para atender a esta exigência, orientando seus agentes para o cumprimento dos objetivos comuns. Neste trabalho um modelo de programação linear é proposto para realizar o planejamento tático da produção, estocagem e de transportes de forma a minimizar custos de produção, transportes e fiscais, atendendo ao mesmo tempo às restrições de programação da colheita, de capacidade e de demanda. Tradicionalmente, não são considerados nos métodos de planejamento do setor custos fiscais, como o de ICMS, que se mostram relevantes no custo unitário do produto final. A matéria-prima, em geral, é enviada para a unidade mais próxima ao campo de produção agrícola, deixandose para um segundo plano a proximidade da demanda. As principais características do processo produtivo e do setor são descritas de acordo com a literatura e visitas a empresas produtoras de sementes. Utilizou-se a linguagem GAMS e o solver CPLEX para resolver o modelo matemático. O modelo foi implementado e testado com dados realistas das empresas visitadas em diferentes cenários, verificando-se coerência nas respostas obtidas. Realizou-se um estudo de caso em uma das empresas estudadas utilizando-se os dados completos de uma safra e os resultados obtidos com o modelo proposto foram comparados com o método empregado na empresa, que considerava apenas a menor distância entre a região agrícola e a unidade industrial. Os resultados dessa comparação foram bastante satisfatórios, proporcionando uma redução significativa dos custos considerados. Além disso, foi confirmada, também para este caso, a importância de incorporar os custos fiscais na disciplina de logística integrando planejamento tributário com o de produção e dos transportes.