Thesis (Ph. D.) -- University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [331]-354).

Mudanças em modos de vida têm sido observadas junto aos agricultores quilombolas e não quilombolas no Vale do Ribeira, trazendo reflexos diretos à alimentação das famílias, bem como ao modo de uso da terra para fins alimentares. A agricultura em pequena escala é uma prática comum nas unidades de conservação no bioma Mata Atlântica, configurando diferentes realidades quanto à segurança alimentar das populações residentes nessas áreas de conservação ambiental. Nesta pesquisa objetivou-se explorar a relação entre modos de vida e segurança alimentar em duas comunidades agrícolas em duas unidades de conservação de uso sustentável, a Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Quilombos da Barra do Turvo e da Área de Proteção Ambiental Planalto do Turvo, que fazem parte do Mosaico de Unidades de Conservação do Jacupiranga, Vale do Ribeira, SP. Os métodos usados para a coleta de dados incluíram questionário estruturado, recordatório 24 horas, sendo visitadas 48 unidades familiares, 24 em cada unidade de conservação. Dados secundários referentes ao cadastramento oficial do ITESP e da gestão de ambas UCs também foram consultados e sistematizados. Foram identificadas as atividades de subsistência que geram recursos alimentares e financeiros, os ambientes de obtenção das mesmas; os hábitos alimentares e verificados contrastes quanto ao consumo de alimentos. Atividades geradoras de alimentos contribuem para a segurança alimentar especialmente na RDS Quilombos, comunidade com maior grau de envolvimento com as práticas agroalimentares quando comparada a APA Planalto do Turvo. Diferenças significativas quanto à composição da dieta entre os grupos pesquisados não foram constatadas nesta pesquisa, indicando que não existem períodos de insegurança alimentar. Os resultados deste estudo reforçam a importância da agricultura contribuindo para a segurança alimentar, concluindo que a prática de produção agroalimentar na RDS e na APA não contradiz a premissa dessas unidades de conservação e contribui para a manutenção da segurança e a soberania alimentar. Embora esse equilíbrio seja frágil, podendo se desestabilizar devido a fatores como diminuição da mão de obra e baixa produtividade, pode-se considerar que a segurança e soberania alimentar foram confirmadas, uma vez que observou-se não haver insegurança alimentar junto aos grupos investigados. / Changes in lifestyle have been observed in the quilombolas and no quilombolas families in Vale do Ribeira-SP, bringing direct reflections in their feed habit, as well as the use of land in order to food purpose.Small-scale agriculture is a common practice in protected areas of the Atlantic Forest biome, configuring different realities on the food security of people in these areas of environmental conservation. This study aimed to explore the relationship between lifestyle and food security in two agricultural communities in two protected areas of sustainable use, the Sustainable Development Reserve Quilombo Barra do Turvo and Environmental Protection Area Plateau Nublado, part of the Mosaic Jacupiranga of Conservation Units, Vale do Ribeira, SP. The methods used for data collection included structured questionnaire and visit to 48 families, 24 in each protected area. Secondary data relating to official registration and management of ITESP and UC were consulted and systematized. Subsistence activities were identified that generate food and financial resources, as well as their production environment and the eating habits. Also was verified contrast in food consumption. Food generating activities contribute to food security especially in RDS Quilombos community which is the most expressive in the agricultural food practices when compared to APA Planalto do Turvo. Significant differences in diet composition between the groups surveyed were not found in this study, indicating that there are no periods of food insecurity. The results of this study reinforce the importance of agriculture contributing to food security. Concluding, the agricultural food production practice in the RDS and in the APA does not contradict the premise of these protected areas and contributes to the maintenance of security and food sovereignty. Although, this balance is fragile and may become unstable due to factors such as reduced labor and low productivity. Beside this, it can be considered that it was confirmed, since there was no food insecurity along the investigated groups.

The purpose of this study was to describe factors that influence the enrolment of dairy farmers to a Community Health Insurance scheme for better access to healthcare. Quantitative, descriptive, contextual, cross-sectional research was conducted and the Health Insurance for the Poor framework was used to describe these factors. Data collection was done using a structured interview guide. The sample consisted of 135 farmers who supplied milk to a dairy cooperation in western Kenya. Among the sample were respondents (n=17) who were enrolled to the Tanykina Community Healthcare Plan (TCHP). The findings revealed that lack of information and unfamiliarity with TCHP, lack of affordability and the distance from the TCHP centres might prevent farmers from registering for the Tanykina Community Healthcare Plan. Improved marketing strategies and establishing more health centres which are more accessible are among the recommendation made to increase the membership to the TCHP / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness / MSc.AEC

Thesis (MSc. Agriculture (Agricultural Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / The South African agricultural sector plays an important role in creating jobs, alleviating food insecurity and poverty, and also contributes to exports. Agricultural produce from smallholder farmers is often lost after production due numerous marketing challenges which make it difficult for smallholder farmers to explore full market potentials. This, among other challenges, reduces smallholder farmers’ motivation to participate in formal (commercial) or high-value markets. The study aimed at assessing factors hindering marketing among smallholder vegetable cooperative farmers in the Polokwane Municipality. The objectives of the study were to: identify and describe socio-economic characteristics of smallholder vegetable cooperative farmers; examine the influence of socioeconomic characteristics of smallholder vegetable cooperative farmers; identify factors hindering marketing among smallholder vegetable cooperative farmers and constraints faced by smallholder vegetable cooperative farmers in the study area. Primary data with a sample size of hundred and twenty smallholder vegetable cooperative farmers was used. Descriptive statistics, the Marketing Hindrance Index and Tobit Model were employed as analytical tools to achieve the objectives of the study. Results of data analysis revealed that there are factors hindering marketing among smallholder vegetable cooperative farmers in the Polokwane Municipality. The major factors affecting smallholder farmers are source of water and types of vegetables grown, respectively. From the Tobit Model results, access to credit, access to reliable information about marketing, age, access to storage and farming experience in years were found to be significant. In view of the research findings, the recommendations of this study include: encouraging youth participation in agriculture, improved access to agricultural information and formal market access, improved access to credit and enabling accessibility through the development of better infrastructure in the form of storage facilities.

Thesis (M.Sc. Agriculture (Agricultural Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Raising cattle in South Africa and any other developing country in the Southern African region as part of livestock production, is one of the important means through which people sustain their livelihood. Inadequate efforts have been taken by the government to improve the marketing system of cattle, particularly to develop small-scale farming in the Limpopo Province and South Africa as a whole. With that being said, the small-scale sector has not been developed to the extent it is expected to. This study examined the factors affecting the participation of small-scale cattle farmers in livestock auctions in the Capricorn District of the Limpopo Province. The study had three objectives, namely; (i) To describe the socio-economic characteristics of the small scale cattle farmers in the Capricorn District of the Limpopo Province; (ii) To assess the perception of small-scale cattle farmers in the Capricorn District of the Limpopo Province towards livestock auction; (iii) To identify and analyse factors affecting the participation of small-scale cattle farmers in livestock auctions in the Capricorn District of the Limpopo Province. The Multi-stage sampling procedure was used in the selection of the representative sample. Three locations (Lepelle-Nkumpi, Molemole and Polokwane local municipalities) were selected purposively because a large number of small-scale cattle farmers in the Capricorn District rely on the agricultural sector economically. The Logistic Regression Model was used to analyse factors affecting the participation of small-scale cattle farmers in livestock auctions. The results showed that, out of the 120 sample size, 42% of small-scale cattle farmers were auction participants and 58% of small-scale cattle farmers were non-participants . There were 43 male-headed households of the participants and 61 female-headed households of the non-participants . An analysis of the farmers ’ socio-economic characteristics further showed that in order for the farmers to cut the costs of production, the majority of the small-scale cattle farmers preferred using family labourers or household labourers in their cattle farming. Farmers were asked a set of Likert type scale questions about their perceptions on the auctions. The Perception Index score ii was skewed to the left and therefore revealed that the small-scale cattle farmers had a negative perception towards the auction. Farmers who had a positive perception, on the other hand, often sold their cattle at a higher price compared to the non-participants who had a negative perception. Furthermore, small-scale cattle farmers who are participants tend to use the market avenue and through that, their cattle productivity is higher, resulting in a total revenue compared to the non-participants. Consequently, small-scale farmers who participate in auctions acquire valuable production information at the very auctions. Descriptive statistics such as means, minimum and maximum values, frequencies, percentages and standard deviations were used to describe the socioeconomic characteristics of the small-scale cattle farmers in the Capricorn District of the Limpopo Province. The results revealed that only 4 variables were significant. The total herd size, distance to the market, gender of the household head and market information were significant at 1%, 5%, 1%, 5%, respectively and all had a positive effect towards auction participation. The study suggested that the government and other policy makers should increase the marketing information and abilities of small-scale cattle farmers through avenues like mass media, extension service and other means of capacity building. This will help the farmers to minimise transaction costs. Furthermore, farmers will not incur more costs when they participate in the markets, considering that market facilities such as auctions are often hosted far from the farmers, which results in farmers incurring more costs.

No description available.

Thesis (M.Sc. Agriculture (Agricultural Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / Climate change and variability on a global level is one of the most serious environmental challenges which exacerbates the well-known vulnerability of smallholder farmers. To cushion the shock of climate change, risk management plays a crucial role in farming, and in the same context, insurance positions itself as one of the main risk management instruments available to farmers. However, one of the key reasons to the struggles of smallholder farmers in South Africa is the inability to obtain effective insurance. To this end, the study identified and profiled the socio-economic features of smallholder cattle farmers, identified smallholder cattle farmers’ perceptions on components of climate change as sources of risk to cattle production and finally, analysed the determinants of willingness to adopt IBLI among smallholder cattle farmers. A purposive multistage sampling procedure was used to identify 110 smallholder cattle farmers in the Polokwane local Municipality. IBM SPSS version 26 and STATA version 15 was used to analyse the primary cross-sectional data collected through structured questionnaire interviews. Farmers’ perceptions on components of climate change as sources of risk were identified using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The PCA revealed three principal components (PCs) explaining almost 61% of the variance of the original variables (climate change components). Furthermore, about 89% of the sampled farmers were willing to adopt IBLI, while about 11% weren’t willing to adopt and the Probit regression model results revealed that marital status, farming experience, access to extension services, off- farm income and land ownership, farmers’ educational level, household size, experience of livestock loss and farm size significantly influenced willingness to adopt IBLI. Based on the findings of this study, the recommended interventions include workshops for raising IBLI awareness, government subsidy on insurance premiums and finally, increased extension service reach to smallholder cattle farmers. / AgriSETA

The population of Black farmers in the U.S. has declined to 2% of farmers in the U.S. because of institutional racism, land dispossession, heir’s property, and youth’s disinterest in farming. Most works on Black farmers have focused on racism, and heirs’ property, but little is known about the influence of race, gender, and inheritance on Black farmers’ experience. To understand this, I asked: what are the contemporary challenges associated with farming among Black farmers in Mississippi? How do race, gender, and inheritance influence the experiences of Black farmers? And how do Black farmers cope with their farming challenges? Twenty farmers in Mississippi were interviewed using semi-structured questions, and data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings shows that farming is a ‘retirement haven.’ Interviewees experience “closed door” to resources. Farming is gendered, and heirs’ property limits Black farmers to small acreages. Cooperative provides support for Black farmers.

Thesis (M.Sc.(Agriculture (Agricultural Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / Understanding the factors that influence farmers' decisions to take preventive measures against natural hazards provides insight that can be used to develop user-specific interventions to support their adaptation processes. The use of Protection Motivation Theory in analysing climate risk adaptation behaviour is driven by the increase in climate change, which is projected to increase the frequency and severity of climate related risks such as heatwaves, floods, and droughts. Given the importance of livestock in rural communities, information about their adaptation must be prioritised; yet, this is not the case, as most climate change adaptation research focus on crop production. The main aim of the study was to analyse the drought risk preparedness of smallholder livestock farmers in the Limpopo Province's Blouberg Local Municipality. The study's specific objectives were to identify and describe the socioeconomic characteristics of smallholder livestock farmers in the Blouberg Local Municipality, as well as to determine the drought coping and adaptation strategies used by them and to evaluate the protection motivation theory components influencing that coping and adaptation behaviour. The study collected primary cross-sectional data from 130 smallholder livestock farmers in the Blouberg Local Municipality using a semi-structured questionnaire. The farmers' drought risk coping and adaptation strategies were described using descriptive statistics, while multiple linear regression was used to test whether protection motivation theory variables influence the adaptation and coping choices of smallholder livestock farmers in Blouberg Local Municipality. According to the findings, smallholder livestock farmers in Blouberg Local Municipality use four measures on average to protect their livestock against drought. With an R2 adjusted of 0.70, protection motivation theory variables explain 70% of the variation in farmer protection motivation. Perceived risk probability, perceived severity, perceived self-efficacy, and perceived costs were significant variables associated with farmers' protection motive. It is recommended that interventions meant to increase drought risk resilience of the farmers should prioritise early warning signals to increase perceived probability of the farmers, create platforms for information exchange to increase perceived severity, teach farmers methods practically to increase perceived self-efficacy and keep the price of utilising measures low to decrease perceived cost / Risk and Vulnerability Science Centre (RVSC)