Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / On title page: Master of Philosophy (Information and Knowledge Management). Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

This thesis explores constraints to the development of markets for high quality cacao in Ecuador. It focuses on the role of market level constraints, particularly the transmission of quality incentives along the marketing chain and their effects on farmers' incentives to invest in quality production. Chapter 1 introduces the reader to the problem, demonstrating that Ecuadorian farmers are not responding to international incentives to produce high quality cacao, and outlines the objectives, hypotheses, and structure of the thesis. Chapter 2 provides background to the market, detailing Ecuador's role in world commodity and high-value cacao markets and gives a detailed description of the cacao market in Ecuador. Chapter 3 uses a subsector analysis to develop and test hypotheses that specific market level constraints, such as transaction costs, market power, and institutional constraints, impede the transmission of incentives to produce quality to farmers. The subsector analysis failed to support the hypotheses that intermediaries are able to exert market power but found that transaction costs and weak institutions presented significant constraints to the transmission of quality incentives. Chapter 4 examines the determinants of farmers' market channel choice and the prices that they receive. In addition to determinants that are commonly found in the literature, such as the characteristics of the transaction and farmer's characteristics, hypotheses testing of quality incentives makes a unique contribution. Analysis of survey data of Ecuadorian farmers found minimal transmission of quality incentives to farmers—only the cultivar Nacional as a quality indicator was found to affect the farmers' market channel choice out of six indicators selected to represent quality. The quality indicators selected were pre- and post-harvest practices, variety, having received technical assistance, credit, belonging to a cacao association, and discounts at sale by the buyer. Also, pre- and post-harvest practices, having received credit, and belonging to a cacao association out of similar quality indicators were found to affect the price paid to the farmer. Finally, Chapter 5 summarizes the main points discovered through the research, discusses policy implications, and proposes further research needs. / Master of Science

Thesis (MComm (Agricultural Economics)--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Small‐scale agriculture is one of the few tools available to support improved rural livelihoods on a significant scale in South Africa. Access to output markets is a key obstacle for small farmers in generating higher incomes. Thus, the rise of modern markets (supermarkets in particular) is generally viewed as positive for the rural poor, although most commentators accede that there are challenges to be overcome in obtaining access to such markets. A literature survey indicates a mainstream point of view about the reasons for modern market exclusion, as well as the most appropriate policy responses. This viewpoint is characterized by an assessment that the “fault” for market exclusion lies largely with small producers – their personal characteristics, their production methods, and their location – rather than with these markets themselves. The corresponding logic is that if these issues are addressed small farmers will almost certainly be included in modern market supply chains. It is this study’s assertion that much of the research that has been undertaken to date is in fact incomplete, because it has excluded two key issues: The dominant supermarket business model; and the actual position of small farmers in those countries with high levels of supermarket concentration. An examination of the supermarket model suggests it is inherently hostile towards most producers, and that modern supermarket supply chain management strategies aim to maximize the extraction of value from other chain participants. Smaller producers are particularly hard hit by this strategy. The South African food retail market structure resembles that of industrialised countries rather than developing countries, and the largest local supermarkets probably have sufficient market share to exercise significant market power. Therefore, we should expect that the position of South African small farmers is similar to that of small farmers in industrialised countries, who are increasingly excluded by modern supermarket‐led supply chains. In light of this analysis, most of the current policy initiatives responses to address market exclusion seem woefully inadequate. Improving the quality of production, and small farmers’ access to skills and assets is important and necessary, but this study proposes that these actions on their own are not sufficient to guarantee access into modern supply chains. Insufficient research attention has been given to understanding how markets themselves become barriers to entry. This is a vital gap in local rural development policy: A market system that favours large over small farmers has the potential to exacerbate rural inequality and to neutralize policy aimed at supporting small farmers. Government needs to take the development of marketing opportunities specifically for small farmers more seriously, understanding that they face a very different set of market access challenges than do large farmers. They need to encourage and support the type of food networks and marketing structures that will have the greatest positive benefit on small farmers and the communities that they live in. This requires a different view of the workings of market networks, and a more critical assessment of how these impact on rural livelihoods. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Kleinskaalse landbou is een van die min hulpmiddels beskikbaar vir ondersteuning op beduidende skaal van ’n beter bestaan in landelike Suid‐Afrika. Toegang tot produksiemarkte is een van die struikelblokke wat kleinboere in die gesig staar wanneer hulle meer produseer. Die opkoms van moderne markte word algemeen beskou as positief vir armes op die platteland, alhoewel kommentaar meestal daarop dui dat daar uitdagings is wat te bowe gekom moet word ten einde toegang te verkry. ʼn Literatuurstudie dui op ʼn hoofstroomstandpunt ten opsigte van die redes vir markuitsluiting, asook die mees gepaste beleidsreaksies. Hierdie standpunt word gekenmerk deur ʼn mening dat die “fout” vir markuitsluiting hoofsaaklik by die produsente lê – hulle persoonlike eienskappe, hulle produksiemetodes, en hulle ligging – eerder as by hierdie markte self. Die ooreenstemmende logika is dat, as kleinboere die gehalte en standvastigheid van hulle produksie verbeter, dan sal hulle feitlik verseker by moderne markte ingesluit word. Hierdie studie voer aan dat baie van die navorsing wat tot dusver onderneem is, in werklikheid onvolledig is, weens die feit dat twee belangrike aangeleenthede: die dominante supermark‐sakemodel, en die posisie van kleinboere in daardie lande met hoë vlakke van supermarkkonsentrasie buite rekening gelaat word. ʼn Ondersoek van die supermarkmodel dui daarop dat dit inherent vyandig is teenoor die meeste landbouprodusente. In teenstelling met die siening van gelyke vennote wat in die rigting van ʼn gemeenskaplike doelstelling saamwerk, is die moderne supermarkvoorraadketting daarop ingestel om soveel moontlik waarde uit ander deelnemers aan die ketting te trek. Kleiner produsente kry veral swaar as gevolg van hierdie strategie. Die struktuur van die Suid‐Afrikaanse voedselkleinhandelmark toon ooreenkomste met dié van geïndustrialiseerde lande eerder as met dié van ontwikkelende lande, en die grootste plaaslike supermarkte het waarskynlik voldoende markaandele om aansienlike markkrag uit te oefen. Ons moet dus verwag dat die posisie van Suid‐Afrikaanse kleinboere soortgelyk is aan dié van kleinboere in geïndustrialiseerde lande, wat toenemend uitgesluit word as gevolg van voorraadkettings wat deur moderne supermarkte gelei word. In die lig van hierdie analise skyn die meeste van die reaksies van die huidige beleidsinisiatiewe in ’n poging om markuitsluiting die hoof te bied, bedroewend ontoereikend. Verbetering van die gehalte van produksie en kleinboere se toegang tot vaardighede en bates is belangrik en nodig, maar is op sigself nie voldoende om toegang tot moderne voorraadkettings te waarborg nie. Onvoldoende aandag is tot dusver in navorsing gegee aan begrip van hoe markte self hindernisse op die pad na toegang word. Dit is ʼn kardinale leemte in plaaslike landelike ontwikkelingsbeleid: ʼn markstelsel wat groot boere eerder as kleinboere bevoordeel, het die potensiaal om landelike ongelykheid te vererger en beleid gemik op steun aan kleinboere te neutraliseer. Die regering moet die ontwikkeling van bemarkingsgeleenthede – in die besonder vir kleinboere – ernstiger opneem, en begryp dat laasgenoemde voor baie andersoortige uitdagings ten opsigte van marktoegang te staan kom as groot boere. Hulle moet die soort voedselnetwerke en bemarkingstrukture wat die grootste positiewe voordele vir kleinboere en die gemeenskappe waarin hulle woon sal hê, aanmoedig en ondersteun. Dit vereis ʼn ander siening van die werking van marknetwerke, en ʼn meer kritiese waardebepaling van die invloed wat dit op landelike bestaan het.

<p>The aim of this field study was to analyze, by taking into consideration the small farmers' perspective, the possibilities and obstacles for an implementation of a Green Revolution in southern Niassa, Northern Mozambique.</p><p>We also highlighted the following question:</p><p>In what sense are the findings in Asia, presented by Djurfeldt, relevant for the situation in southern Niassa?</p><p>The analytical framework used is based on the scheme developed by Nitsch and Åkesson. This scheme has been used to understand the small farmer's relationship toward the technology linked to the Green Revolution. The Green Revolution is a result of an initiative to resolve the food crisis by increasing crop yields and augmenting aggregate food supplies. By the 1970s it become known as a 'package' consisting of improved seeds, farm technology, better irrigation, and chemical fertilizers.</p><p>We have chosen to use Göran Djurfeldt's, a Swedish professor at the University of Lund, concept of the Green Revolution in Asia. Through his findings, he concludes that the success of the Green Revolution in this area is not only due to the technology but also that the strategy was a state-driven, small-farmer based, and market-mediated which arose due to particular domestic and geopolitical factors.</p><p>By taking this in consideration we conclude that neither the state, market nor the geopolitical context are working in favor of a Green Revolution in Mozambique, however the factors are vital if a Green Revolution will succeed in Niassa. The small farmers have to deal with many obstacles if a Green Revolution will be possible. To summarize the small farmer’s attitude toward the Green Revolution we look at the individual circumstances, the direct surrounding and the society in general. We first concluded that the small farmer does not have much knowledge about the Green Revolution. This makes it hard for her or him to have an opinion neither about it nor about the techniques related to the Green Revolution. Secondly, the small farmer have several reason to why she or he do not want to implement the Green Revolution, due to risk taking, tradition, former bad experiences with new technique etc. Thirdly, there are also numerous obstacles that hinder the small farmer to implement the Green Revolution technology. Those are the small farmer's health and time, the lack of extension workers, the international and the domestic agricultural politics, and the lack of inputs and credits etc.</p>

The main objective of this study is to explore the credit and savings behaviour of small farmers in rural areas of Indonesia, with particular reference to informal systems of credit. It examines the relationship between credit and rural poverty and on identifying small farmers' credit and savings behaviour as well as problems they encounter in accessing credit programmes at the grassroots level. In this study, the extent of informal credit programmes in rural areas is identified and an assessment is made of how important these schemes are to rural people, especially small farmers, from economic, social and cultural points of view. The influence of local culture and values on informal rural credit systems is also examined. Fieldwork was conducted in three villages of Solok district, West Sumatra, Indonesia. This study reveals that credit programmes, whether from the formal or informal sectors, have not had a positive impact on poverty alleviation. The majority of formal credit programmes in the three case study villages failed to give service to the rural poor, especially small farmers. It is likely that the reason for the failure was the unmet demand between the formal financial institutions as the credit providers and the small farmers as the credit recipients. The informal credit programmes were also unsuccessful in helping the poor to increase their income because the loans were small in size and were mainly used for fulfilling basic and emergency needs. Credit from informal sources is used for survival rather than for development. However, informal credit schemes were favoured by the majority of the rural population due to their flexibility and adaptation to local cultures and values. This study finds that informal credit schemes in these three case study villages have potential to empower local people and to strengthen traditional rural credit systems in the era of decentralisation. Arisan Suku, Julo-julo and 'friendly moneylenders' are examples of these informal credit schemes, and they figured significantly in the credit and savings activities of the poor in the study area. Therefore, this study rejects the conventional assumptions that informal finance is exploitative, insignificant and unorganised. The positive impact of local culture and values on the informal credit systems in the study area mainly focuses on the influence of local culture of Minangkabau and the value of Islamic religion in shaping rural informal credit systems. In this case Minangkabau people have been practicing credit and savings activities for a long time, and this reinforces the informal credit system in the area. Regarding the influence of Islamic values, this is in line with the current growing attention paid to the Islamic finance system, both at national and international levels. The positive impacts of local culture and values are important for developing a more participatory rural financial system. This study recommends that the future rural financial systems can be developed by combining positive features of both formal and informal credit systems.

Propõe uma discussão sobre o processo de apropriação de informações sobre sistemas agroflorestais por assentados da amazônia matogrossense, baseado na Comunicação Rural, Filosofia da Informação e Sociologia da Ação. O caminho metodológico tomado é da etnografia, sendo a observação participante realizada no assentamento Entre Rios, no município de Nova Ubiratã, Mato Grosso. Apresenta as fontes de informação acessadas pelos sujeitos e os processos de comunicação e informação vivenciados por eles. A imersão no assentamento possibilitou analisar o contexto de referência em que as informações são apropriadas, bem como os critérios objetivos e subjetivos de avaliação das informações recebidas. Conclui que os agricultores utilizam um processo de avaliação multicriterial complexo e que somente uma ação comunicativa baseada no diálogo com estes sujeitos poderá contribuir para a melhoria de suas vidas. / Presents a discussion about the process of appropriation of information on agroforestry by settlers from the Amazon, based on Rural Communication, Philosophy of Information and Sociology of Action. The methodological approach taken is ethnography, and participant observation conducted in the settlement Entre Rios, in Nova Ubiratã, Mato Grosso. Presents the sources of information accessed by the subjects and the processes of communication and information experienced by them. The immersion in the settlement allowed analysis of the reference context in which the information is appropriated, as well as the subjective and objective evaluation of informations received. Conclude that farmers use a complex process of multicriteria evaluation and that only a communicative action based on dialogue with these individuals may contribute to the improvement of their lives.

Propõe uma discussão sobre o processo de apropriação de informações sobre sistemas agroflorestais por assentados da amazônia matogrossense, baseado na Comunicação Rural, Filosofia da Informação e Sociologia da Ação. O caminho metodológico tomado é da etnografia, sendo a observação participante realizada no assentamento Entre Rios, no município de Nova Ubiratã, Mato Grosso. Apresenta as fontes de informação acessadas pelos sujeitos e os processos de comunicação e informação vivenciados por eles. A imersão no assentamento possibilitou analisar o contexto de referência em que as informações são apropriadas, bem como os critérios objetivos e subjetivos de avaliação das informações recebidas. Conclui que os agricultores utilizam um processo de avaliação multicriterial complexo e que somente uma ação comunicativa baseada no diálogo com estes sujeitos poderá contribuir para a melhoria de suas vidas. / Presents a discussion about the process of appropriation of information on agroforestry by settlers from the Amazon, based on Rural Communication, Philosophy of Information and Sociology of Action. The methodological approach taken is ethnography, and participant observation conducted in the settlement Entre Rios, in Nova Ubiratã, Mato Grosso. Presents the sources of information accessed by the subjects and the processes of communication and information experienced by them. The immersion in the settlement allowed analysis of the reference context in which the information is appropriated, as well as the subjective and objective evaluation of informations received. Conclude that farmers use a complex process of multicriteria evaluation and that only a communicative action based on dialogue with these individuals may contribute to the improvement of their lives.

Submitted by Alison Vanceto (alison-vanceto@hotmail.com) on 2017-05-11T12:50:43Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissCIM.pdf: 3339514 bytes, checksum: 827382898f0e43cbce9d7fab658f7d95 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ronildo Prado (ronisp@ufscar.br) on 2017-05-11T13:04:16Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissCIM.pdf: 3339514 bytes, checksum: 827382898f0e43cbce9d7fab658f7d95 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ronildo Prado (ronisp@ufscar.br) on 2017-05-11T13:04:24Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissCIM.pdf: 3339514 bytes, checksum: 827382898f0e43cbce9d7fab658f7d95 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-11T13:09:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissCIM.pdf: 3339514 bytes, checksum: 827382898f0e43cbce9d7fab658f7d95 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-07 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / The objective this research is to identify and describe the main governance structures adopted by small farmers in Serrana region of the state of Rio de Janeiro, as well as to determine the factors that explain the adoption of these structures. The theoretical basis used was the Transaction Cost Economics. The method used was exploratory quantitative, with a survey containing 262 small farmer. These were statistically selected from lists of producers supplied by unions in each of the 7 cities in the region. A structured questionnaire was applied so that 567 transactions involving vegetables were identified. An indicator of coordination intensity was constructed to identify the governance structures adopted in such transactions. Four different groups of coordination intensity were formed, allowing comparative analysis using descriptive statistic. It follows an estimation of an ordered logit regression in order to idenfy factors explaining the four groups of coordination intensity. There is evidence of the predominance of hybrid forms of governance in transactions involving small farmers with their buyers. The high level of physical specificity and / or intermediate levels of human specificity were statistically significant as determinant factors explaining the adoption of governance structures with greater coordination intensity. The size of the property under management of horticulturists was also significant, however, in this case, larger farmers showed a greater probability of adopting structures with less intensity of coordination. The presence of resource sharing among these agents promotes commitment among the parties, generating an informal mechanism in the transaction and differentiating them from the traditional spot market. Buyers have developed good reputation, generating trust-based commitments. / O presente trabalho tem como objetivos identificar e descrever as principais estruturas de governança adotadas por pequenos produtores hortícolas da região Serrana do estado do Rio de Janeiro, bem como determinar os fatores que explicam a adoção dessas estruturas. A base teórica utilizada é a Economia dos Custos de Transação. Para alcançar o objetivo proposto utilizou-se do método quantitativo exploratório, realizando-se um levantamento de dados do tipo survey, com amostra contendo 262 produtores familiares. Estes foram estatisticamente selecionados mediante listagens de produtores fornecidas pelos sindicatos de cada um dos 7 municípios da região. Para coleta de dados foi aplicado um questionário estruturado objetivo que identificou 567 transações envolvendo produtos hortícolas. Um indicador de intensidade de coordenação foi construído para identificar as estruturas de governança adotadas em tais transações. A similaridade de intensidade de coordenação permitiu agrupar transações em 4 grupos distintos, possibilitando analisa-los por estatística descritiva e posteriormente por um modelo de regressão logit ordenado. Evidencia-se a predominância de formas híbridas de governança nas transações envolvendo os horticultores familiares com seus compradores, destacando-se o papel da confiança como mecanismo de coordenação mais presente. A presença elevada de especificidade de ativo físico e/ou níveis intermediários de especificidade humana se mostraram estatisticamente significantes como fatores determinantes para adoção de estruturas de governança com maior intensidade de coordenação. O tamanho da propriedade sob gestão dos horticultores também se mostrou estatisticamente significante, porém, neste caso, maiores áreas demonstraram maior probabilidade de adoção de estruturas com menor intensidade de coordenação. A presença de compartilhamento de recursos entre estes agentes propicia comprometimento entre as partes, gerando um mecanismo informal na transação e as diferenciando do tradicional mercado spot. Soma-se a isso o fato da construção de uma boa reputação pelo comprador propiciar compromissos baseados na confiança em detrimento aos compromissos estabelecidos via contratos formais, tornando a confiança o mecanismo mais presente nas transações analisadas.

Propõe uma discussão sobre o processo de apropriação de informações sobre sistemas agroflorestais por assentados da amazônia matogrossense, baseado na Comunicação Rural, Filosofia da Informação e Sociologia da Ação. O caminho metodológico tomado é da etnografia, sendo a observação participante realizada no assentamento Entre Rios, no município de Nova Ubiratã, Mato Grosso. Apresenta as fontes de informação acessadas pelos sujeitos e os processos de comunicação e informação vivenciados por eles. A imersão no assentamento possibilitou analisar o contexto de referência em que as informações são apropriadas, bem como os critérios objetivos e subjetivos de avaliação das informações recebidas. Conclui que os agricultores utilizam um processo de avaliação multicriterial complexo e que somente uma ação comunicativa baseada no diálogo com estes sujeitos poderá contribuir para a melhoria de suas vidas. / Presents a discussion about the process of appropriation of information on agroforestry by settlers from the Amazon, based on Rural Communication, Philosophy of Information and Sociology of Action. The methodological approach taken is ethnography, and participant observation conducted in the settlement Entre Rios, in Nova Ubiratã, Mato Grosso. Presents the sources of information accessed by the subjects and the processes of communication and information experienced by them. The immersion in the settlement allowed analysis of the reference context in which the information is appropriated, as well as the subjective and objective evaluation of informations received. Conclude that farmers use a complex process of multicriteria evaluation and that only a communicative action based on dialogue with these individuals may contribute to the improvement of their lives.

The aim of this field study was to analyze, by taking into consideration the small farmers' perspective, the possibilities and obstacles for an implementation of a Green Revolution in southern Niassa, Northern Mozambique. We also highlighted the following question: In what sense are the findings in Asia, presented by Djurfeldt, relevant for the situation in southern Niassa? The analytical framework used is based on the scheme developed by Nitsch and Åkesson. This scheme has been used to understand the small farmer's relationship toward the technology linked to the Green Revolution. The Green Revolution is a result of an initiative to resolve the food crisis by increasing crop yields and augmenting aggregate food supplies. By the 1970s it become known as a 'package' consisting of improved seeds, farm technology, better irrigation, and chemical fertilizers. We have chosen to use Göran Djurfeldt's, a Swedish professor at the University of Lund, concept of the Green Revolution in Asia. Through his findings, he concludes that the success of the Green Revolution in this area is not only due to the technology but also that the strategy was a state-driven, small-farmer based, and market-mediated which arose due to particular domestic and geopolitical factors. By taking this in consideration we conclude that neither the state, market nor the geopolitical context are working in favor of a Green Revolution in Mozambique, however the factors are vital if a Green Revolution will succeed in Niassa. The small farmers have to deal with many obstacles if a Green Revolution will be possible. To summarize the small farmer’s attitude toward the Green Revolution we look at the individual circumstances, the direct surrounding and the society in general. We first concluded that the small farmer does not have much knowledge about the Green Revolution. This makes it hard for her or him to have an opinion neither about it nor about the techniques related to the Green Revolution. Secondly, the small farmer have several reason to why she or he do not want to implement the Green Revolution, due to risk taking, tradition, former bad experiences with new technique etc. Thirdly, there are also numerous obstacles that hinder the small farmer to implement the Green Revolution technology. Those are the small farmer's health and time, the lack of extension workers, the international and the domestic agricultural politics, and the lack of inputs and credits etc.