Thesis (MBA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2018 / This article investigates the effects of drought on small scale beef cattle farmers of Ba- Phalaborwa Municipality in Limpopo Province. Drought and its financial implications have caused critical problems to small scale farmers especially beef cattle farmers in the municipality. Most rural households depend on agriculture as their source of food and income. Agriculture thus plays a prominent role in the stability of rural communities. Drought is a factor that affects farmers not only during the drought season, but also the following season as the previous year’s reduced profits influence the next seasons spending. The changes in price of input commodities the season after drought also affect farmer’s decisions. The main objective of the study was to investigate the effects of drought on small scale beef cattle farmers in Ba-Phalaborwa municipality in Limpopo province. 25 Small scale livestock farmers from Lulekani A and B village in Ba-Phalaborwa municipality were randomly selected to participate in the study. The quantitative study applied a survey design and primary data were collected using open and close ended questionnaires. The findings of the study revealed that drought is a major concern for livestock farmers and the agricultural sector at large, resulting in high loss of livestock due to mortality and enforced sales. Furthermore, due to the devastating effects of drought farmers responses were characterized by the increased reliance on the Department of agriculture and rural development in the form of drought relief. It is therefore recommended that the country needs to prepare for this natural phenomenon and the key to drought preparedness and readiness is about knowing the what, how and when of the drought. To achieve this goal the scientific expertise to monitor and predict, the capability of the observation networks, information systems for drought early warning have to be improved. Furthermore, the provision of financial assistance to address long-term developmental needs (such as investment in water infrastructure and water-harvesting techniques) of the farming community, thereby improving their resilience, may prove more beneficial in the long run than short-term drought relief assistance in the form of fodder supply. Key words: Ba-Phalaborwa, drought, small scale livestock farmers,

This research project was designed to analyze the relevance of place and the physical environment to the adjustment processes of refugees. This dissertation contains the results of qualitative research with a group of 30 refugee urban farmers living in Salt Lake City, Utah. Seventeen of these individuals—from Burundi, Sudan, Bhutan, the Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, and Cuba—participated in interviews and a photography project focused on their experiences with agriculture in their home countries and since their arrival in Utah. The results of the research show the connection between the refugees’ work as farmers and their sense of place since arriving in the United States. Participants reported material and emotional benefits from their farming work, as well as challenges. The research results also provide insight into the process of cultural hybridization and cross-cultural exchange experienced by the participants. A discussion of some challenges inherent in doing research with refugees is included, and policy implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.

The goal of agricultural training is the adoption and diffusion of introduced agriculture techniques. New subsistence agricultural techniques have been introduced mainly to the male population in many developing countries, even though most subsistence farmers are women. Therefore, an understanding of how new subsistence agricultural techniques can be introduced and adopted by women would be important to achieve. This study focuses on women's adoption of agricultural techniques. It takes place on the island of Malaita, in the Solomon Islands. The study looks at the adoption of agroforestry and several other subsistence techniques that were introduced under a joint program by Peace Corps and the Malaita Agriculture Division between 1983 and 1989. Two Peace Corps volunteers were posted in North Malaita at Malu'u from 1983 to 1986. The Malu'u volunteers lived in the village of Karu for two and one-half years while introducing and teaching new agricultural practices. Two other Peace Corps volunteers were posted at the Dala Agricultural Training Center from 1987 to 1989, and worked with the residents of the nearby village of Kakara. In 1991, a two-month survey was conducted in the areas where the Peace Corps volunteers were posted, as well as in an area that did not have any Peace Corps volunteers posted. The findings of this study indicate that adoption of new agroforestry techniques is based on several factors. Who introduced the technology, the farmer's wealth, and being able to obtain income from market vegetables and other identified factors improved a respondent's chances of adopting new agroforestry techniques.

This thesis evaluates two theories purporting to explain the rise of right-wing extremism in the Midwest during the farm crisis of the 1980s. The pluralist argument suggests that Midwestern right-wing extremism was rooted in previous episodes of agrarian radicalism. The political tradition perspective, on the other hand, claims that right-wing extremism in the Midwest was rooted in traditional conservatism. To evaluate these theories, an analysis of ten counties was performed. Particular attention was paid to seven variables which theorists argue point agriculturally based communities down political paths of radicalism or conservatism. Regional analyses were also performed on those counties which resided in similar areas of the Midwest. The findings offer stronger support for the political tradition perspective than for the pluralist argument. These finding suggest that those counties in which right-wing extremist activity did not occur were ones which supported past agrarian radical movements while those counties which experienced right-wing extremism were for the most part opponents of past radical agrarian movements. The thesis suggests that future research on rightwing extremism should focus attention on the political traditions of the communities were such movements become established and that a number of alternative variables should be considered.

Agrochemical use has been increasing in both developing and the developed nations. The unsafe handling and use of agrochemicals can lead to accumulation of hazardous chemicals in the body, causing adverse effects on health. This quantitative cross sectional study sought to understand the level of awareness, practices, and perceptions of safe chemical handling by agrochemical using the Theory of Planned Behavior. This study was conducted among 260 farmers in Plateau State, Nigeria. Data on background knowledge and practices of safe agrochemical handling by farmers were collected using a structured paper based, interviewer-€administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics revealed that the most practiced precautions by participants were washing work clothes separately (56.9%) and taking a shower soon after application of agrochemicals (53.6%). Findings from this study suggest that farmers had good knowledge of safe use of agrochemicals and majority of them 91.9% were knowledgeable about the possible effects of these chemicals on health. A Chi square test showed a statistically significant association between marital status and engagement in safe agrochemical handling X2 (2, N = 260) = 7.34, p <. 05 and level of education X2 (4, N = 260) = 35.12, p <. 05. Results of Binary logistic regression indicated that the variable training on safe agrochemical handling with an odds ratio 8.31 was a good predictor for safe agrochemical handling An important finding in this study however was a low level of adoption for the use of Personal Protective Equipment. Priority should be given to developing safety educational and certification programs for farmers with emphasis on the safe handling practices.

Thesis (M Dev.)--University of Limpopo, 2006. / Eliminating poverty and deprivation and their negative social effects is a critical challenge facing South Africa today. No political democracy can survive and flourish if the masses of the people remain in poverty, are landless, and do not have tangible materials for a better life. Attacking poverty and deprivation should be a priority of any democratic government (RDP 1994:1, 2, 9). Then South African government like its counterparts in the developing world is being restructured to improve governance and alleviate poverty. Optimal agricultural performance by small-scale farmers for poverty relief, food security, is shown to increase income and employment. Recognizing the contribution of these farmers in agricultural development and helping them improve their farming methods and secure small loans would impact favorably on poverty alleviation in the rural areas. The aim of this study is to determine the role played by rural development projects in poverty alleviation. In addition policy options, consequences and recommendations will be entertained. / Not listed

Thesis (MSc. (Agriculture)) --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 overutilising 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 smallscale 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 vi most significant variable at 99% level, showing a positive relationship to smallscale 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.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.

During the 1930s a large number of cultural artifacts presented rural Iowa to national audiences as an ideal place where the "real" America still flourished despite the harsh realities of the Great Depression. Artist Grant Wood's lush landscapes, novelist Phil Stong's trustworthy farmers, and cartoonist "Ding" Darling's pragmatic Iowans, are among the creations that comforted Americans from 1930-1936. These texts gained attention from audiences not only because they invoked peaceful pastoral imagery, but also because they frequently presented a monolithic patriarchal society without ethnic and racial diversity or social class distinctions. This presentation of Caucasian normativity was a tonic for many Americans who felt unnerved by the floundering economy and still recognized the deep divisions of the previous decade, which had resulted in race riots, immigration restrictions, and labor unrest. These splits were still present in the 1930s, even though that decade has come to be remembered primarily for the economic crisis and dust storms which spawned famous representations of Dust Bowl migrants. Those conditions were real, but the cultural importance of productive, honest (white) Iowa farmers during the first half of the Depression has, by comparison, been largely forgotten. In four chapters which respectively analyze journalism, art and literature, films, and political speeches from the period, I seek to rectify this historical oversight and offer a glimpse into how Americans, when faced with an ongoing crisis, may be encouraged to embrace a "simpler" way of life belonging to an imagined past.

The agricultural interests of the United States and Utah have experienced some trying situations during the past quarter century. Periods of depression followed by periods of expansion and prosperity have resulted in a condition of instability and insecurity in agriculture. The effect of alternate periods of prosperiy and depression in agriculture becomes increasingly important as agriculture changes from self-sufficing to commercialized types of business enterprises. Many of the difficulties inherent in the present complex social and captial structure were of minor significances in the early types of agricultural activities. Changing conditions in agriculture and in social institutions in general have necessitated that action be taken in behalf of agriculture; that some of the disturbances and chaos resulting from rapidly changing economic conditions might be mitigated. Many attempts have been made to relieve the undesirable situations which have prevailed in our agricultural industry. Some measures of relief have been supplied by various legislative action; other movements have resulted from activities on the part of farmers' organizations. Among the remedies proposed for relieving the depressed agricultural situation was movement for cooperative enterprise, especially those adventures in the realm of cooperative marketing. This movement, accordng to many, was to serve as the panacea or "cure all" for the undesirable disturbances in the field of agriculture. With the general evolution of the cooperative idea as a possible remedy for agricultural ills, government aid was solicited in an effort to promote and encourage agricultural cooperation. Various legislative acts, both state and federal, were passed and numerous political gestures made in the farmer's behalf. This was largely the result of the realization of a long felt need on the part of agricultural leaders; however to some extent it may have been an act of political strategy by those desiring the support of the national farm bloc. No matter what the reason, the fat remained that sentiment was created and interest was secured favoring the development of agricultural cooperatives. Farm organizations, professional promoters, agricultural extension services, and other educational institutions have all exerted an influence ont he character and direction of cooperative development. Just what effect this cooperative movement has had on the agricultural situation in Utah and its present status, is the primary purpose of this treatise. The historical background and development of cooperative tendencies will be presented briefly in an effort to show the growth and development of cooperative marketing along with its present economic status in Utah. The purpose of this study is to analyze and interpret the historical growth and development of farmers' cooperative marketing organizations in Utah along with an appraisal of their present economic status.