CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / Da mesma forma que extinguiram os Ãndios do Cearà por meio de um decreto na segunda metade do sÃculo XIX, querem extinguir a categoria de moradores, âesvaziando as fazendasâ, em razÃo de uma suposta modernizaÃÃo das relaÃÃes de produÃÃo do semiÃrido. Influenciados por estudos sobre zonas rurais de alta capitalizaÃÃo, que modernizaram as relaÃÃes de trabalho, generalizam, pois, esta particularidade para todo o territÃrio brasileiro. Assim, com a âliquidaÃÃo da moradaâ, decretam o fim da dominaÃÃo tradicional â do coronelismo, do voto de cabresto, dos currais eleitorais etc. Esta tese, todavia, destaca a dinÃmica dos processos sociais do semiÃrido, mostrando que hà um movimento contÃnuo de povoamento, esvaziamento e repovoamento dos moradores nas fazendas, que, na histÃria estrutural da regiÃo, vem pendendo para a estabilidade do sistema de moradores. Com efeito, este sistema permanece como alternativa econÃmica para as fazendas e empresas rurais, porque a expansÃo capitalista e o acesso dos moradores aos direitos sociais e trabalhistas nÃo foram capazes de dissolvÃ-lo por completo, mas sim de transformÃ-lo, sem expropriar, de forma generalizada, os trabalhadores residentes. Demonstro esta dinÃmica das relaÃÃes de morada atravÃs da dialÃtica marxista, ao comparar o passado, inscrito numa longa duraÃÃo, com o tempo presente. Deste modo, na primeira parte deste trabalho, problematizo os elementos formadores do sistema de moradores (estrutura fundiÃria, organizaÃÃo patrimonialista do trabalho, os protagonistas, as peculiaridades, a seca e a intervenÃÃo do Estado na regiÃo). E, na segunda parte, questiono seus elementos dissolventes (migraÃÃo, seca, desenvolvimento das trocas capitalistas, e reforma agrÃria). Para tanto, faÃo uso de fontes da histÃria e de tÃcnicas de investigaÃÃo, tais como observaÃÃo participante, participaÃÃo observante e entrevistas semiestruturadas em duas fazendas do semiÃrido: a Fazenda AssunÃÃo, no Norte Cearense, e a Fazenda Santa FÃ, no SertÃo Central. / In the same way they extinguished the Indians of Cearà by means of a decree in the second half of the nineteenth century, they want to extinguish the category of âmoradoresâ (rural property tenants), âemptying the farmsâ due to a supposed modernization of the production relations of the semi-arid region. Influenced by studies on rural areas with high capitalization, which modernized labor relations, they generalize, therefore, this particularity for the whole Brazilian territory. Thus, by abolishing the âmoradaâ (the traditional rural dwelling system), they decree the end of the traditional domination of coronelism, it means, the vow of obedience or the voting halter, and also the electoral votes or âelectoral corralsâ. This paper, however, highlights the dynamics of the social processes of the semi-arid, showing that there is a continuous movement of settlement, emptying and repopulation of the dwellers on the plantations, which, in the structured history of the region, tends to the stability of the âmoradores systemâ. Indeed, this system remains an economic alternative for farms and rural enterprises, because the capitalist expansion and the access of the âmoradoresâ to social and labor rights were not able to dissolve it completely, but to transform it, without expropriating, in a generalized way, the resident workers. I come, with this dissertation, to demonstrate this dynamic of the relations of dwelling through the Marxist dialectics, comparing the past, inscribed in a long duration, with the present time. That way, in the first part of this paper, I problematize the elements that form the âmoradores system â(land structure, patrimonial organization of work, protagonists, peculiarities, drought and State intervention in the region. And in the second part of this paper, I question its dissolving elements (migration, drought, the development of capitalist exchange, and agrarian reform). For that, I make use of history sources and research techniques, such as participant observation, observant participation and semi-structured interviews on two semi-arid farms: Fazenda AssunÃÃo, in the north of CearÃ, and Fazenda Santa FÃ, in the Central Hinterland.

O Seridó é uma microrregião do semi-árido do Rio Grande do Norte, caracterizada por uma vegetação de caatinga e terra muito erodida, devido ao regime de escassez e desigual distribuição de chuvas. O povoamento iniciou-se no século XVII. A pecuária foi a atividade que levou ao assentamento das famílias no sertão potiguar e o cultivo do algodão, que se apresentou posteriormente como atividade econômica bastante rentável, foi o ampliador e fortalecedor da fixação da população no Seridó. As fazendas de gado existentes na região constituem-se em exemplares de grande relevância para o patrimônio arquitetônico do Brasil, embora construídas com formas modestas e sem assinatura de arquitetos. Infelizmente, esse acervo fundamental para a identidade da região e para o Rio Grande do Norte, vem sendo dilapidado, por isso essa pesquisa visa contribuir para a preservação e divulgação da cultura, da tradição e do patrimônio edificado rural do Seridó-RN. / Seridó is a Rio Grande do Norte semiarid microregion, characterized by a caatinga vegetation and eroded land due to the scarcity and unequal rainfall distribution. The population process began in the 17th century. The families settlemend in the potiguar hinterland was led by Cattle breeding activity followed by cotton cultivation, wich appeared as a very profitable economic activity enlarging and consolidating of Seridós population. The cattle breeding farms existing in the region constitutes a relevant Brazilian heritage architecture example, although constructed with simple shapes and unsigned by architects. Unfortunately this heritage, fundamental for the region and Rio Grande do Norte identity, has been dilapidated, therefore this research aims at contributing for the preservation and dissemination of culture, tradition and heritage buildings and structures of rural Seridó-RN.

Reactive power support by photovoltaic farms has been under discussion in several countries. This kind of operation has been proposed because the photovoltaic farm converter is an expensive asset that is often used well below its power rating. This paper proposes a methodology for estimating the reactive power support capability and the associated technical cost of operating a photovoltaic installation as a STATCOM at nighttime. The technical cost is related to the need to buy active power from the grid to compensate for power losses. A precise estimation of this cost is of interest for both photovoltaic farm owners and grid operators to be able to evaluate the economic feasibility of this kind of operation. In order to illustrate the proposed methodology, a 1.5 MWp photovoltaic farm is considered. By evaluating the losses of each component (converter, tie reactor, filter and transformer), a reactive power support capability map integrating the technical cost for each point of operation is obtained. The analysis outlines key points to operate a PV farm as a STATCOM at nighttime: the system must include a blocking diode, the capability map is asymmetric, an operation with variable DC-link voltage is desirable and can lead to savings of up to 8.9 % in comparison with operation at fixed nominal DC-link voltage. / O suporte de potência reativa por fazendas solares fotovoltaicas está sob discussão em diversos países. Este tipo de operação foi proposta pois o conversor das fazendas solares é um equipamento de custo elevado que é usualmente utilizado abaixo de sua potência nominal. Este trabalho propõe uma metodologia para estimar a capabilidade de suporte de reativos e o custo técnico associado na operação de uma fazenda solar fotovoltaica como um STATCOM durante o período da noite. O custo técnico desta operação está associado à necessidade da compra de potência ativa da rede elétrica para suprir as perdas de energia para compensar as perdas nos equipamentos. Uma estimativa precisa deste custo técnico é de interesse tanto dos empreendedores que possuem fazendas fotovoltaicas como dos operadores da rede elétrica para que se avalie a viabilidade econômica deste tipo de operação. Para ilustrar a metodologia proposta, uma fazenda solar fotovoltaica de 1.5 MWp é considerada. Através da avaliação das perdas em cada componente (conversor, reator, filtro e transformador), um mapa de capabilidade de suporte de potência reativa é obtido integrando os custos técnicos para cada ponto de operação. A análise realizada neste trabalho destaca os pontos chave para a operação noturna de uma fazenda solar como STATCOM: o sistema deve incluir um diodo de bloqueio, o mapa de capabilidade é assimétrico, a operação com tensão do circuito CC é desejável e resulta em economia de energia de 8.9 % em comparação com operação com a operação em tensão nominal fixa do circuito CC.

This study focuses on the identities of family farm operators and the challenges to maintaining viable farm operations in today’s agricultural economy. Employing a grounded qualitative approach, the author conducted 18 in-depth interviews with principal farm operators from Iowa and Tennessee. Using the insights of farmers from geographically different agricultural regions, this study notes how preserving family histories, socialization processes, and farming as a moral career inform operators’ understandings of themselves and the work they do. The analysis also focuses on how family farm operators contend with a globalized agricultural economy and the moral and ethical concerns of managing a farm. Farm operators implement various tactics and framing mechanisms for resolving and, in some cases, circumventing these challenging issues in order to maintain their farms, identities, and family farm legacies.

Thesis (MBA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / The objective of this study was to determine the environmental impact of agricultural inputs, to know if the environmental impacts of agricultural inputs have environmental costs, and to know who bears the environmental costs of agricultural inputs. Using a purposive sampling method, the researcher studied six farms from Chief Albert Luthuli Municipal area, Mpumalanga. The research design for the study was a mix of qualitative and quantitative research approaches. Data collection was from primary and secondary sources. Data was collected from the six farmers in Albert Lithulu, in addition secondary data was collected from the archives of Index Mundi, the University of Pretoria, the US EPA and the World Bank. Using a mix of correlation and regression analysis, findings from the study provided an answer to the three research objectives. Findings from the analysis of correlation and regression indicated that agricultural input (fertilizer, used in this study) does affect the environment; it causes an agricultural induced emission of greenhouse gases (nitrous oxide and methane). Furthermore, findings from analysis of potential environmental costs of environmental impacts (methane and nitrous oxide) showed that agricultural inputs have social costs for South Africa. Furthermore, the final findings in this study showed that the environmental costs from agricultural inputs are born by the victims. Consequently the study recommends additional environmental regulation to enable farmers internalise some of the environmental costs of agricultural inputs that are born by victims. Further research is suggested to determine the model that may be used to internalise environmental costs of agricultural inputs back to the farms. Key Words: farms, environmental costs, agricultural inputs, externalities

Economic and climate changes, combined with changing government regulations, are altering the strategic business model for small farm operators and necessitating their reliance on multiple income sources to maintain financial viability. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies of 3 small farming businesses in California's San Joaquin Valley that successfully implemented value-added products which contributed to their financial sustainability. Data from semistructured interviews and relevant documents were analyzed through the lens of system theory, utilizing in vivo coding to identify patterns and themes. Three high-level themes emerged: knowledge, marketing, and networking. The theme of knowledge reflects the value of pre-existing and new knowledge. The theme of marketing reflects 3 key areas including differentiation of value-added products, customer experience, and the value of word of mouth and social media marketing. The networking theme reflects the value of professional and community networking and connecting with family and friends. The findings of this case study may have implications for positive social and economic change. Farmers who sustain their operations and remain financially viable contribute to the local economy, provide continuing knowledge of agricultural practices to future generations, and contribute to the stability of available food. Providing information on successful value-added strategies used by a group of small farm operators may assist other owners of small farms looking to add value-added products and increase farm income. Doing so could lead to increased employment and a stronger local tax base.

Two issues are focal to the subject of the spatial distribution of crops in peri-urban zones. The first deals with developments in the fields of transportation, other technology, urbanization, and other factors which are not only prevalent in developed world economies, but which also are thought to force the cultivation of freshly consumed agricultural commodities away from the immediate vicinity of the market center. The second issue pertains to indirectly consumed crops, which are thought to shun proximity to the market center, where land rents per unit area are characteristically high, even when conditions for productions are ideal. Traditional models have shown a zonal pattern of crop distribution in peri-urban areas. The present study sets forth two hypotheses, one pertaining to the spatial distribution of freshly consumed crops, and the other pertaining to the spatial distribution of indirectly consumed crops. It was hypothesized in the present study that freshly consumed crops will continue to be cultivated in the near vicinity of the market center due to characteristics of the crops and the urban market. It was further hypothesized that indirectly consumed crops will continue to be cultivated in the near vicinity of the market center by virtue of greater intensity of production that may be obtained through the use of the environment of designated places. In the case of both crops, the cited factors, as well as others, offset the disadvantages of higher land rent per unit area common to areas close to the market center. These offsetting factors permit agriculture to compete successfully for land in the peri-urban zone. To test these hypotheses, variables were selected to measure the influence that urbanization, transportation, other technologies, the market, the environment, and land use regulations have on agricultural siting patterns in the peri-urban zones of the "Wheat Region" of the central United States. These variables were expressed as equations and were subjected to multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis. The present findings tended to support the research hypotheses. On the basis of these findings, the present research offers a revised model of agricultural cropping patterns, one that reflects the sectoral, rather than the zonal, pattern of crop distribution in peri-urban zones. In the revised model, the mixing of different crops at various locations around the market is feasible, and low-priced grains may compete successfully for high-rent locations in the near vicinity of the urban market. The findings also show that the production of perishable crops in the iIl'.mediate vicinity of the urban market is here to stay, largely due to access to varied means of transportation as well as characteristics of the crops themselves. Furthermore, the findings show that environmental conditions influence the locating of grain production, although economic considerations were seen to supersede them, particularly at high-rent sites.

Thesis (M.Sc.)(Agriculture) --University of Limpopo, 2008. / This paper used primary data collected from 73 small-scale farmers (16 borrowers and 57 non-borrowers) in the Greater Letaba Local Municipality (GLLM) of Limpopo Province of South Africa. The general objective of the study is to analyze farmer-household characteristics that may influence farmers’ decision about whether or not to use credit. Maximum Likelihood Probit Model was used to analyze farmer-households characteristics assumed to be affecting small-scale farmers’ decision about credit. The following variables: farmers’ age in years, gender, marital status and farming experience in years have positive significant effect on farmers’ decision to use credit. On the contrary, number of years of formal education and membership to farmers’ association has negative significant effect. The probabilities for each variable were quantified. The study advocates and emphasizes access to credit by small-scale farmers as a major factor in their production process and production efficiency. Training among both borrowers and non-borrowers in identification of profitable projects and the use of credit for agricultural production is recommended. This kind of training may play a major role in stimulating the demand for credit by these farmers. / N/A

Thesis (M.Sc (Agriculture)) -- University of Limpopo, 2014 / Small-scale irrigation farming has been found to have potential to improve agricultural production of the small-scale farmers and thereby improving their livelihoods. The Government of South Africa through the RESIS programme embarked on a project to increase agricultural production through investment in new or existing small scale irrigation schemes. Contrary to expectations, most of the government supported irrigation schemes have failed to meet the expectations of both government and farmers. The objectives of this study was to determine the perceived reasons for the failure of the irrigation schemes and determine the association between socio-economic characteristic of farmers and the perceived reasons for these schemes. Farmers who participated in the scheme or had participated (in the case of failed/dysfunctional schemes) in the RESIS irrigation schemes were randomly sampled and interviewed. Multinomial regression analysis was used to determine the association between farmers’ socio-economic profiles and their perceptions on the reasons for the failure of the schemes. According to farmers’ ranking, economic, competition and socio-cultural factors were perceived as having a large influence on the success of the schemes. Climate/ecological and technological factors were cited as having lesser influence on the success of the schemes. Socio-economic characteristics (literacy level, age, education level) of farmers and number of beneficiaries in a scheme had influence on how farmers perceive the influence of economic, competition, socio-cultural, technological, climate and administrative/management factors.. The strategic partnership model was generally found to encourage dependency and thus discouraging the sense of ownership. The findings revealed the importance of considering the socio-economic circumstances of farmers in future planning of the irrigation schemes to enhance the success of these schemes. The findings may also have implications for other government supported projects that involve communities with diverse needs and socio-economic profiles.

Thesis (M. Dev. ) --University of Limpopo, 2014 / The legacy of apartheid has left the current democratic government of South Africa grappling with vast challenges. Eighteen years of governance has not been enough for the state to address issues of land redistribution, and in particular redistribution of commercial farm and the improvement of their functionality after redistribution. The main aim of the study is to assess the general functionality, productivity and challenges of redistributed farms. Qualitative research methodology (descriptive research design) is used to diagnose historical and current issues impacting on the functionality, productivity and challenges facing LCPA. Probability random sampling, more especially stratified random sampling was used as a sampling method. The results indicated that the farm is experiencing a number of challenges, conflicting views regarding the farm path. Due to the lack of financial support, malfunctioning or aging infrastructure, and most importantly the lack of agricultural technical and farming knowledge. Challenges experienced among others include the following, consistent decline in production, lack of technical and strong agricultural farming knowledge, lack of persistent strong financial support; and lack of integrated support from agricultural stakeholders. To change the status quo, consistent training of beneficiaries in farming and farm management has to be tailor made for them, and a multidimensional support for beneficiaries has to be put in place.