This study was motivated by the realisation that the Eastern Cape Province is a leading producer of cattle, but few to none of those cattle makes it to auction markets. The study was conducted in the Elliot area, selected as an area with a high number of Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development farms, as well as private farms and communal farmers. Most of these farmers battled to sell their cattle to the auctions or abattoirs. The objective of the study was therefore to investigate challenges facing smallholder beef cattle famers and those factors which prevented them to access auction markets to sell their cattle in the Elliot area. The second was to assess the effectiveness of the Livestock Improvement Scheme in support of smallholder beef cattle farmers in terms of the outcome and achievements of training these individuals to become successful farmers. The last was to find out how beef cattle farmers benefited from the scheme. Both semi-structured interviews and an open-ended questionnaire were used to collect data. A sample size of 10 farmers (eight farmers from LRAD/private and two from communal farmers) was selected, and observation was done on the auctions and abattoirs available in Elliot. The study found that smallholder cattle farmers struggle to sell their stock through formal and informal markets, as they are faced with marketing constraints.Such marketing constrainst are lack of marketing information, drought, poor condition of cattle, lack of infrastructure, shortage of land for grazing, price takers, stock theft, transaction costs, problems with cattle identification, and lack of physical access to markets. The study has also made recommendations on how smallholder cattle farmers of Elliot can be developed to procure markets to sell their stock.

Livestock production is the primary financial resource for most farmers in Mpumalanga province. Although commercial farmers require necessary equipment and technology to maximise their production and profit, but emerging small-scale farmers in the province face many challenges which have hindered their efforts to improve their livelihood, besides intervening in the procedure of commercialisation. Therefore, this study investigates the socioeconomic characteristics of the livestock farmers in the province, the determinants of market access and those influencing marketing inefficiency, with a view to developing policy recommendations. Structured questionnaire was administered to 300 farmers in order to capture information on market access and factors that could influence marketing inefficiency. Descriptive statistics was utilised regarding basic characteristics of the households. A logit regression model was used to analyse market access (sale of livestock through formal markets) using STATA. Marketing inefficiency was computed as the reciprocal of marketing efficiency which was calculated using Shepherd formula, while the two stage Least Square regression was applied for factors influencing marketing inefficiency after identifying market access endogenous variable. The study’s extrapolations indicated that 7 variables were consequential at 1% and 5% significance level with market access, namely transport ownership, transport cost, market price information, advertisement, farmers’ perception, marketing channel used and municipality. In addition, the results of the two stage least square model indicated that only 3 variables had remarkable significance with regard to marketing inefficiency. These are market access, livestock composition and infrastructure. The findings of the study evidenced that to reduce marketing inefficiency, then it is paramount to enable the easy dissemination of information and improving infrastructure so as to give small-scale farmers easy access to the markets. Consequently, addressing marketing constraints will provide an insight that will allow development of strategies to deal with those problems correctly and more efficiently. The study recommended that focus should be centred on addressing the constraints existing in livestock marketing system to enhance access to markets by encouraging youth participation in agricultural activities and providing training programmes and easy access for marketing related information. Also, infrastructure deserves to be given more attention by renovating the marketing facilities especially road networks in rural areas. In addition, extension officers and veterinary services are to provide help and support in preventing infections and diseases in order to minimise the losses. / Agriculture, Animal Health and Human Ecology / M. Sc. (Agriculture)

Lack of access to agricultural extension and advisory services is one of the major challenges facing emerging farmers in South Africa. The purpose of the study was to determine the level of access to extension and advisory services by emerging livestock farmers in uThungulu district municipality of KwaZulu Natal province. A survey design of face-to-face interviews was used to collect data using a structured questionnaire. A sample of 1 437 was randomly selected from 4 792 emerging livestock farmers in the district. A sampling fraction of 30% was used. Stratified sampling was used to determine the number of participants from each local municipality. The survey was conducted with different groups of emerging livestock farmers representing different age groups ranging from 18 years of age and older. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 software. The results showed that more than 90% of emerging livestock farmers in the district had better access to public extension compared with 14% who had access to private extension. On average, 30% of the respondents indicated that they also had access to extension and advisory services from agricultural cooperatives. With regard to extension delivery approaches, advisory was the main (43.5%) extension approach practised in uThungulu district municipality followed by project approach (37.8%), participatory approach (36.4%) and technology transfer at 11.1%. In conclusion, the involvement of private sector and cooperatives in rendering agricultural extension and advisory services in the emerging livestock sector was an indication that various stakeholders collaborate in the improvement of agriculture in the province. The emergence of project approach showed that extension agents or officers have become more target oriented rather than technology transfer driven. The use of participatory extension approach indicated that in the 21st century, farmer’s opinions were also taken into consideration in the delivery of agricultural extension and advisory services in the emerging livestock sector. It was recommended that there should be a wider partnership of extension and advisory services involving various stakeholders such as farmers, municipalities, non-governmental organizations and the private sector, to address and boost the efficiency of services to farmers in South Africa. Therefore, more work is required to increase access to extension and advisory services through cooperative associations by organizing emerging farmers in cooperative associations for the participatory approach to succeed / Agriculture, Animal Health and Human Ecology / M. Sc. (Agriculture)

Six livestock owners, who are commonly used as demonstrators, participated in the study of which three were from communal areas and three from freehold farms in the Ganyesa area. The livestock production potential in communal areas was compared with that of freehold farms. Information on livestock production, veld condition, Dry matter, crude protein- content of natural grasses and extension services were determined and evaluated for each study area. The result of this study revealed that because of variation in climate, Ganyesa is classified as semi- arid and is mainly suitable for livestock production. The result further revealed that there were major constraints in livestock production in the study area and these were related to land tenure system and poor livestock production. In both communal areas and freehold farms, farmers were unable to invest in infrastructural development and this immensely affected production, and led to over-grazing. The performance of the herds (calving %) in communal areas was low (54%) as compared to that on the freehold farms (6 %). However, the results revealed that more calves that were born lived up to weaning (85% in communal areas, 90 % on freehold farms) and this compared favourably with results from other areas. Herd mortality rates for both communal (2%) and freehold farms (2%) were reported to be low. The performance of smallstock was somehow lower than expected for both communal and freehold farms. The lambing kidding percentage was low (62% and 69%, respectively) and mortality rates were somewhat high (to % and 23% respectively). This means that many lambs/kids died due to diseases and malnutrition and thus did not reach a weaning age. Forage DM production was reported to be higher on freehold farms than in communal areas, and this supported the argument that the latter areas are over-stocked. The CP¬content of forage was high for freehold farms during December - January and low during July - August. The CP -values of forage for freehold farms were higher than those for communal areas with the highest figures recorded during January. The veld condition score was reasonable on freehold farms with a high percentage of desirable grass species (28 % ) and low in communal areas (22 %) with high percentage of undesirable grass species (52 %) recorded by the latter. The results of this study revealed that all samples recorded high strontium (Sr) values, indicating likely contamination of the borehole sites. The high levels of titanium (Ti) and barium (Ba) on freehold farms may indicate a possibility of industrial pollution of boreholes. Most of the water sources sampled may also be utilised by humans for drinking, food preparation and drinking purposes with detrimental effects. In view of these constraints, some recommendations were made. / Dissertation (M Inst Agrar (Animal Production))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Animal and Wildlife Sciences / unrestricted

Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / There is a gap in the literature about the role and relevance of Indigenous Knowledge and beef cattle welfare in many parts of the Limpopo province. This gap is relevant because many marginalised cattle owners use indigenous knowledge in their day to day management of beef cattle. The aim of the study is to investigate the use of IK methods on beef cattle husbandry in Tshebela village in the Capricorn district of the Limpopo province as a contribution to filling the void identified above. The objectives of the study were as follows:  -To investigate the IK methods used in beef cattle husbandry in the area of the study;  -To assess if beef farmers use IK to identify medicinal plants to cure beef cattle;  -To investigate farmers‘ perceptions and attitudes on the use of IKS on beef cattle husbandry in the area of study. A qualitative methodology that was used was primarily phenomenological in design. A purposive sampling technique was used and twenty seven (27) traditional beef farmers, two (2) local herbalists were recruited as participants. Data was collected through focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and observations. An interpretative phenomenological-based analysis was used to surface the role and relevance of indigenous knowledge in beef cattle husbandry. The findings suggest that indigenous knowledge is used by cattle owners alongside modern knowledge and that communal farming posed some challenges to the farmers.

Gousiekte (“quick” disease) is a plant-induced cardiomyopathy of livestock in South Africa, that is characterized by the sudden death of animals within a period of 3-6 weeks after the initial ingestion of toxic plant material. Six species of three genera of the Rubiaceae family viz. Pachystigma pygmaeum, P. thamnus, and P. latifolium; Pavetta harborii and P. schuman-niana, and Fadogia homblei have been identified as the causative agents of the disease. The toxin responsible for the poisoning, named pavettamine, has been isolated and the structure and absolute configuration established as (2S,4R,8R,10S)-1,11-diamino-6-aza-undecane-2,4,8,10-tetraol, or the enantiomer, by mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. Retrosynthetic analysis of the pavettamine molecule as outlined in the dissertation showed that the secondary amine function could be obtained from the amide functional group in an intermediate such as (2R,4S)-N-[(2′R,4′S)-2,4,5-trihydroxypentan-1′-yl]-2,4,5-trihydroxy-pentanamide A. Disconnection of the amide bond then generated two C5 building blocks viz. an amine B and a carboxylic acid C which through a set of functional group transformations led to a common C5 building block, a pentane-1,2,4,5-tetraol D. The terminal primary hydroxy groups required different protecting groups at all times in order to safe-guard the integrity of the two stereogenic centres. In addition identical protecting groups but different to those used for the primary hydroxy groups, were necessary for the secondary hydroxy groups. Further analysis of the C5 building block D showed that it could be obtained from (2S)-malic acid by functional group transformations, chiral sulfoxide methodology and an appropriate protective group strategy. A suitable protective group strategy was developed and an 11 step synthetic route for the C5 building block established. The successful conversion of this moiety through functional group transformations provided the C5 amine B and C5 carboxylic acid C which were linked to give the target compound, the amide D but with the hydroxy groups protected. The synthetic study presented in the dissertation provides an efficient methodology toward the synthesis of any of the 10 possible stereoisomers of pavettamine. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Chemistry / unrestricted

In Graaff-Reinet, domestic livestock farming and springbuck ranching are similar in that they both rely on the rangeland for their sustainability. However, as a consequence of repeated monotonous domestic livestock farming, resulting in compromised biological productivity and diversity, the rangelands have disintegrated. This, unfortunately, has placed the future sustainability of these rangelands and the livelihoods of the local people in an indeterminate state. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in springbuck ranching for meat production as an alternative to domestic livestock farming in the area following (a) fears of worsening environmental challenges; (b) declining profitability in commercial domestic livestock farming and; (c) growing calls for the sustainable use of these rangelands for the benefit of future generations. The springbuck has emerged as a credible alternative to utilising the rangelands - as opposed to sheep - because of its promise to addressing the above challenges. This is in an attempt to tap into the multitude of benefits that the springbuck possesses (by virtue of being part of the natural capital of the area) that have a potential towards restoring ecological integrity by extenuating some of the detrimental effects of sheep farming on the rangelands and presenting opportunities for diversifying incomes. Yet, despite the general increase in interest, a resistance towards the uptake of springbuck ranching for meat production exists. The main contention is that springbuck meat production cannot out-perform the economic returns of wool sheep farming. This study attempts to address these concerns by investigating the profitability and economic sustainability of converting a sheep farm into a springbuck ranch in Graaff-Reinet. The study uses stochastic simulation to estimate the probability distribution of some key output variables, namely: net cash income, ending cash balance, real net worth and the net present value (NPV) in evaluating the profitability of converting a 5 000ha sheep-dominated farm into a springbuck-dominated ranch under three alternative scenarios. The use of stochastic simulation allows for the incorporation of downside risk associated with the production and marketing of wool, mutton and springbuck meat. The study uses stochastic prices and yields to calculate net returns variability. Incorporating scenario analysis helped to evaluate how alternative wool sheep-dominated and springbuck-dominated combinations would perform based on the probable outcomes of different assumptions in the various scenarios. By applying stochastic efficiency with respect to a function (SERF) criterion to the simulated NPVs, this study compares the profitability of alternative scenarios based on various risk aversion coefficients. The study finds that converting a 5 000ha wool sheep dominated farm into a springbuck dominated ranch could potentially be a more profitable investment than wool sheep farming over a 15 year planning horizon, in Graaff-Reinet. The SERF results indicate that for all scenarios tested, the best strategy of converting a wool sheep dominated farm into a springbuck ranch would be one which comprise a combination of 70% springbuck, 20% mutton and 10% wool production as the likely profitable enterprise mix. Using economic sustainability analysis, the study reveals that because of low costs in springbuck ranching, springbuck meat production enterprises are most likely to be more financially sustainable than wool sheep-dominated enterprises. This suggests that rangeland owners may be better off converting their wool sheep-dominated farms into springbuck-dominated ranches. Thus, as the call for more environmentally benign rangeland utilising economic-ecological systems intensifies, rangeland owners in the Eastern Cape Karoo have a practicable option. At the very least, there exists an option to broaden their incomes whilst promoting ecological restoration with springbuck meat production.

Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / There is a gap in the literature about the role and relevance of Indigenous Knowledge and beef cattle welfare in many parts of the Limpopo province. This gap is relevant because many marginalised cattle owners use indigenous knowledge in their day to day management of beef cattle. The aim of the study is to investigate the use of IK methods on beef cattle husbandry in Tshebela village in the Capricorn district of the Limpopo province as a contribution to filling the void identified above. The objectives of the study were as follows:  To investigate the IK methods used in beef cattle husbandry in the area of the study;  To assess if beef farmers use IK to identify medicinal plants to cure beef cattle;  To investigate farmers‘ perceptions and attitudes on the use of IKS on beef cattle husbandry in the area of study. A qualitative methodology that was used was primarily phenomenological in design. A purposive sampling technique was used and twenty seven (27) traditional beef farmers, two (2) local herbalists were recruited as participants. Data was collected through focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and observations. An interpretative phenomenological-based analysis was used to surface the role and relevance of indigenous knowledge in beef cattle husbandry. The findings suggest that indigenous knowledge is used by cattle owners alongside modern knowledge and that communal farming posed some challenges to the farmers

Thesis ( M. Sc.((Agricultural Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2017. / Wildlife farming has become an important land use alternative, especially in most developing countries where there is an abundance of wildlife resources. In South Africa, integrated wildlife/livestock was mostly practiced by commercial farmers on a privately owned land but in recent years, potential for income generation in the industry has grown. Smallholder farmers are increasingly being assisted to explore practicing integrated wildlife/livestock on communal land after receiving land through restitution programme. The aim of the study was to examine costs and benefits associated with integrating livestock with wildlife in a smallholder agricultural context. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from 71 respondents situated in Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality selected using multistage random sampling technique. Cost-benefit approach and weighted decision matrix were used for economic analysis and also to identify potential trade-offs. Furthermore, the study used descriptive statistical analysis to identify opportunities and challenges faced by farmers. Some of the livestock costs identified include feeds, vaccines and labour costs. Benefits of wildlife include income from trophy hunting and selling meat from wild animals. Cost-Benefit Ratio (CBR) as a tool of cost benefit analysis techniques, was used in order get 0.67 in livestock farming, this shows that the project may not be sustainable whereas that of wildlife farming was 1.13 which indicate that the project will yield positive outcome for community involved. There are trade-offs that farmers will have to consider when shifting towards integrated wildlife/livestock such as reduced livestock benefits and increased wildlife benefits. Livestock diseases, stock theft and others are the identified challenges associated with integrated wildlife/livestock. Descriptive results indicated that 40% of livestock farmers mentioned that they are strongly affected by stock theft and disease transmission. The identified opportunities of integrated wildlife/livestock were business and job creation for rural households. Given the findings, the study therefore, recommends that government and private sector should assist farmers with training in wildlife farming so that they can be competitive in commercial wildlife farming. Funds should be made available for setting up infrastructure suited for wildlife land uses. / Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF)

No description available.