The study was conducted in Mbozi and Ciko villages in Mbhashe Local Municipality of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Two irrigation projects in the area were studied. Consumers and agricultural commodity traders in Willowvale Town, Dutywa, Butterworth and East London were also interviewed. The major objective of the study is to profile and map cabbage, maize and cattle food value chains broadly, and to understand their nature, constraints and opportunities in smallholder agriculture. A multi-stage random sampling procedure was used in which the first stage involved selecting the local government areas. This was followed by the selection of the district and then the respondents. A total of 168 participants were sampled in the proportion of 82 smallholder farmers, 41 consumers, 26 hawkers and 20 agricultural commodity traders. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were also used during the data collection process. Value Chain mapping was done using the commodity based approach. All value chains under study indicated that they are short and commodities were transacted in unprocessed form. As cabbages and maize move from the farm to retail outlets, value addition start to take place through transportation to the market and processing in supermarkets. The cattle value chain however does not have a forward linkage beyond the two administrative boundaries of the two communities. Less than 3% of the farmers traded livestock, and this was mostly through private sales to neighbours. The farmers‘ major goal in agricultural production is assumed to be an important aspect in lengthening the value chain. As such, results of a Pearson‘s correlation exercise indicated that there is a significant relationship at 0.05% level between goals of the farmers and the village of origin. Some factors that showed significance (p=0.05) in influencing farmers‘ goals are membership of an irrigation project and household sources of income. An analysis of determinants of technical efficiency at farm level was performed using the stochastic frontier model for cabbage, maize and cattle enterprises. The results showed that rainfall adequacy, input costs, market channels and quantity sold are important determinants of cabbage production efficiency. On the other hand, maize production efficiency is positively determined by market price, area under production and rainfall adequacy. Market related variables are major drivers of the cattle value chain efficiency and these include cattle prices, market satisfaction, market channel and farm labour.

Global nations are awakening to the realisation and manifestation of actual food insecurity. Voices which advocate for food security have always been there but were overshadowed by corporate ignorance and overpopulation. Corporate food waste plays a major role in contributing to food insecurity although the spotlight is hardly put on them. As the economic hub of South Africa, the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) must take the lead in rethinking food waste reduction strategies in food corporations selling fruits and vegetables where the most waste occurs in the country. The level of fruit and vegetable wastage should decline in order to counter the adverse effects of food waste. The aim of this study is to establish strategic ways to decrease fruit and vegetable wastage at corporate level in the CoJ. This is achieved by determining contributing factors to food waste including improving food waste reduction models with the intervention and collaboration of food and wholesale stores as well as government. Face-to-face interviews, online surveys and a case study were methods used to answer the study objective. Responses from the field work show that many fruit and vegetable customers opt for conventional or ‘ordinary’ looking foods than ‘wonky’ looking ones. Also, many of the food stores do not have food waste reduction models to guide them, leading to a lot of food being dumped. Furthermore, the food health and safety criteria seem to be a leading contributor to food waste. These results indicate that food waste reduction is also important at pre-consumer stages. On this basis, it is recommended that a solid partnership between food corporations and Johannesburg city is formed in solidarity against food waste. Serious measures must be put in place in order to minimise fruit and vegetable wastage on both sides. These changes have potential to have an immense impact on the economy, environment and society. Further research should be undertaken to identify other factors that could be helpful in the quest to limit food waste in food corporations. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

Text in English / Supply chains incorporate “green” principles in their processes to promote environmental sustainability. Through an online survey, this study investigated green supply chain management (GSCM) implementation and employee awareness of GSCM initiatives in five starch and glucose processing companies in Gauteng. Eighty employees working in management and supervisory positions participated in the study by completing an online questionnaire. The research findings indicated that employees are aware of environmental goals and targets, environmental policies, legislation and standards, and green designing initiatives implemented. Employees perceive that collaboration with suppliers and contractors on environmental issues is in place, however, government partnerships are perceived as being insufficient. Benefits of green marketing campaigns and GSCM initiatives have not been identified. The study noted resistance to change, lack of adoption of technology advancement, insufficient communication and training, and cost implications as barriers hindering GSCM success. It is, therefore, recommended that appropriate support and communication regarding GSCM initiatives are strengthened. / College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)