The study analyzed the impact of the farm input subsidy programme (FISP) on the technical, allocative and economic efficiency and determining factors associated with these efficiencies of 12, 271 smallholder maize farmers from 2010 IHS3 dataset in Malawi. Descriptive statistics, stochastic frontier approach as and a Cobb-Douglas production function were applied. Yield responsiveness to production inputs was estimated by computing input elasticities. The findings indicate that technical efficiency of smallholder maize farmers ranged from 15.7 to 78.9 with a mean of 61.3 percent reflecting a substantial level of inefficiency. The allocative efficiency scores were between 23.5 and 86.2 with a mean of 66.9 percent reflecting a substantial level of allocative inefficiency. The economic efficiency scores were between 14.1 and 74.6 with amean of 59.2 percent reflecting a substantial economical inefficiency. An estimated return to scale was 0.87 indicating that during the period under review, smallholder maize farming decreased by about 13 percent. The results of second stage Tobit regression estimations indicates that the FISP programme improved the efficiencies of maize farmers in Malawi. In addition, t farmers’ age, farming experience, education years, having an income generating activity and receiving remittance were also identified as significant drivers of production capacity of smallholder farmers maize. However, farmers’ marital status, family size and distance to the market had a negative impact on smallholder farmers’ capacity in maize production. Smallholder farmers in Malawi were experiencing a decreased return to scale meaning that they were technical, allocative and economically inefficient in maize production. From the findings, among other issues to be considered for the improvement of technical, allocative and economic efficiencies of maize production among smallholders farmers, the government should support only energetic farmers, make farm inputs available and accessible to farmers, continued advocacy on v adoption of family planning to reduce population growth to carter for scarcity of resources, increase and enhance extension services to help in educating these smallholder farmers in handling new technologies associated with modern agriculture, encourage them to engage in IGAs to complement FISP in purchasing farm inputs, increased and extended cash transfer program to economically empower these smallholder farmers.

World food security will be one of the greatest global challenges in the 21st century and utilisation of an increased range of food crops is generally regarded as being vital to meeting this challenge, including the use of legumes. Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea) is an African indigenous legume that shows great potential to improve the food and economic security of small scale farmers living in semi-arid regions of South Africa. This study sought to investigate the potential for Bambara groundnut to enhance the food and economic security of small scale farmers in the Capricorn District of Limpopo Province, South Africa. A total of 43 Bambara groundnut producers were interviewed about Bambara groundnut production and their perceived enablers and barriers of utilizing Bambara groundnut. The study found that the majority of Bambara groundnut producers were old (>65 years of age), female small scale farmers who produced the crop for primarily household use. There were however a small number of farmers who produced Bambara groundnut on a larger scale, mostly to sell. Most farmers perceived that local demand was higher than supply and were able to obtain a high market value for Bambara groundnut. There appeared to be potential economic opportunities for many of the farmers to sell Bambara groundnut. The main reason why most farmers in this study did not sell Bambara groundnut was because the yields they obtained were too low. The main enablers perceived by farmers for Bambara groundnut production were a) The high nutritional value of Bambara groundnut; b) The good taste of the seeds; c) The nitrogen fixation properties of this legume and its ability to improve soil fertility; d) The legume intercrops well with maize; e) Bambara groundnuts high drought resistance; f) Cultural traditions associated with Bambara groundnut; and g) Use as animal feed. The main barriers were a) Low yielding characteristics of Bambara groundnut; b) Lack of available farmland; c) Lack of irrigation; d) Poor land management practices; e) Low soil fertility; and f) The crop's susceptibility to water logging. Overall the farmers were positive about Bambara groundnut production and could potentially benefit from advancements made in this sector of agriculture. The study concludes with recommendations to help improve small scale farmers' production of Bambara groundnut with the aim of improving their food and economic security.

The Future Farmer of America organization had its birth in Utah in 1929. It is a national organization of farm boys, registered in Vocational Agriculture in high school. There are four grades of membership based upon achievement. These are (1) Green Hand, (2) Chapter Farmer, (3) State Farmer, and (4) American Farmer

Sugar has been an important commodity down through the ages. In the present day world, there is hardly any corner of the world where sugar is not consumed in one form or another.

Student Number : 0006374W - MA research report - School of Sociology - Faculty of Humanities / The principal aims of the study were to evaluate the objectives, achievements and limits of the South African land redistribution programme as from 1994-2005. This study placed particular emphasis on evaluating the period commencing in 1999 until 2005 since this period is credited for formally aligning Land redistribution with broader objectives of Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE). As a result of the aforementioned this study also aimed to evaluate the extent to which the Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development (LRAD) reflects the broader objective, vision and aspirations of BBBEE and Agri-BEE. The latter analysis was based on an LRAD case study called Calcom PTY LTD in Barberton; Mpumalanga, South Africa. To extrapolate the data required for the attainment of the aims of the study, a qualitative research strategy which was based on a case study approach was utilised. This culminated in the choice of Calcom which is an LRAD project in order to further the analysis of the study. This enabled the study to develop a conceptual account of policy developments in the post-1999 period which saw BBBEE becoming a permanent feature of the South African land redistribution programme. Consequently a number of theories were used to account for changes that were made in the post-1999 period, namely the Neo-Classical, radical political economy, conceptual approaches to policy making and theories of development. This study argues that these changes are important for facilitating land redistribution to black people. However, without ensuring the availability of basic prerequisites for the emergence of black commercial farmers, such as skills developments, infrastructural support services, postsettlement support and access to finance and credit; the achievements and bias of LRAD towards black commercial farmers in theory will not have any impact on the broader vision of deracialising the Agri-economy in practice. Instead it will exclude the majority of poor black South Africans it ought to help, while empowering a few well resourced South Africans.

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