Contractual arrangements have been viewed as institutional arrangements ideal for improved market access for smallholder farmers. However, certain questions remain unanswered, such as whether the smallholder farmers benefit from them and how? Do contractual arrangements empower smallholder farmers or not? And do contractual arrangements lead to improved gross farm incomes for smallholder farmers or not? From these questions, three hypotheses were developed and tested, which are: Contracting lowers smallholder farmers' market price risk and therefore improves market access; contracting improves smallholder farmers' farm incomes; and contracting improves smallholder farmers' capacity to access external resources (financial credit, technical and extension services). This thesis characterised agricultural contractual arrangements in the Winterveld region, which ranged from implicit to explicit contracting. These contractual arrangements were characterised based on the general description of the contractual arrangement, the nature of the contract (formal or informal), contract negotiation, price discovery and payment structure, responsibilities of the contracting firm and farmers, contract enforcement and conflict resolution and opportunities and threats associated with the contractual arrangement. The study used a case study approach and interviewed a total of 50 smallholder farmers and three agribusiness companies. Most of the data were qualitative in nature with significant quantitative data on prices and yields. Only smallholder farmers who were actively involved in marketing their produce for the season 2009/2010 were interviewed, using a structured questionnaire. Agribusiness companies were interviewed us1ng semi -structured questionnaires. The technique of triangulation was employed to validate data from the three primary data sources, which were key informants, smallholder farmers· and agribusinesses transacting with Winterveld smallholder farmers. Literature on contract farming was explored and the main objective of the study was to show how contractual arrangements affect smallholder farmers and how best can they be used to mainstream smallholder farmers into formal agricultural markets. Results from the qualitative analysis showed that non-land assets endowment are sources of pre-selection bias and in some cases are determinants of being contracted. However there was no positive relationship between owning non-land assets and contracting. Some contractual arrangements, like the marketing specification public tenders' contractual arrangement, are well designed to minimise farmers' price risk. However, others, like the marketing specification valencia contractual arrangement, do expose farmers to market price risk. There was a significant difference in farm gross incomes between contracted and noncontracted farmers. It is however so that there were different levels of skills, management and enterprise mix between them. In some cases, for instance in the marketing specification valencia contract and marketing specification leafy vegetables and navels contracts, contracting does enable farmers to access external resources. However, having access to external resources also depended on the farmers' innovativeness and social networks and the information available to them. From these results, the thesis concluded that contractual arrangements are not a panacea for improving smallholder farmers' market access, therefore other alternative marketing channels for smallholder farmers have to be explored. Market outlets such as hawkers had very low transaction costs, which makes it easier for smallholder farmers to enter such market channels, but there is very low public support in such market channels. Furthermore, it is not always the case that contracting prices are superior to other prices in alternative markets. Some farmers in non-contractual arrangements in some cases realised superior prices for their produce. Based on the study findings, this thesis proposes key government interventions in eliminating information asymmetries and development of a public framework on contracting where necessary. Information asymmetries in particular can be reduced by deployment of effective and well trained agricultural extension personnel in smallholder farming areas. Also, a public framework on contracting reduces information asymmetries as well as guarding against unfair business practices against smallholder farmers. Furthermore, due to the heterogeneous nature of produce from smallholder farmers, exploration of urban supply chains characterised by cultural diversity and low income consumers might result in improved market access for smallholder farmers. The thesis also proposes further research on the policy environment in which agricultural contracting takes place in South Africa. This could help in creating better policies which may foster increased formal market access by smallholder farmers. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc(Agric))--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

The plight faced by unemployed rural communities in South Africa and particularly the women folks of Winterveldt does not differ much from other rural areas globally in terms of poverty and the need for development. In the light of this problem, the study attempted to answer the main research question guiding it, namely, what is the role of Vocational Education and Training programmes for unemployed women in Winterveldt? Few, if any, studies in South Africa have investigated how unemployed women with little formal education engage in Vocational Education and Training programmes for purposes of employment creation, environmental awareness and cultural preservation. This thesis presents three streams of Vocational Education and Training programmes that were introduced in Winterveldt, Pretoria, namely, the embroidery, vegetable gardens and beadwork. Using a multi-focal theoretical framework consisting of empowerment, human capital, feminism, and critical pedagogy theories, the study investigates whether the programmes reduced women’s vulnerability to poverty in post-apartheid South Africa. To carry out the investigation, the study employed a multiple case study research design based on an interpretive paradigm. In addition, the researcher using individual and focus group interviews, observations and document analysis was able to acquire qualitative data. The data were collected from 17 unemployed women, seven from embroidery stream, five from vegetable garden section and five from beadwork division as well as three coordinators. All the interviewees were selected purposively because they were deemed information rich with regard to the programmes of their studies. Data were analysed manually through hand coding that led to the emergence of the research findings. The research findings were categorised into various ideas that were eventually used to form the themes to this study. The research findings revealed the followings:  That all human beings have the capacity to realise their potential in their own way;  That women with little or no formal learning, usually go unnoticed in any systematic way;  That despite being unnoticed, women have achieved success by using their own hands and available resources to create artefacts or produce crops to turn their impoverished situation around; and  That Vocational Education and Training programmes serve as a primary livelihood strategy for unemployed women who had no alternative means of employment. In conclusion, the research findings are a reminder of the true African spirit that says; Rutang bana ditaola, le se ye natšo badimong, broadly translated as teach insights into the secrets of life to the young ones; you are not to take them with you when you depart to the land of ancestors. Finally, this study proposes a partnership framework as a formation that could enhance the performance of the women participants in the area of Winterveldt. The idea is that by sharing their knowledge and expertise the unemployed women who participate in the various community-based Vocational Education and Training programmes can achieve far better results than when they work in silos. / Educational Studies / Ph. D. (Education)

Governments and municipalities in the developing world face the challenge of rapid environmental deterioration in the growing informal settlements along the urban fringes. Waste management, its efficiency, or lack thereof, is becoming an increasingly urgent issue. In this thesis, Winterveld, located approx. 50 km north of Pretoria, is studied as a typical example of the problems and bottlenecks related to solid domestic waste management in a mixed urban fringe settlement. While the formal parts of Winterveld receive waste removal services, the – much larger - informal parts are not being provided with such services. A wide range of methodologies was employed to assess the current status of waste management and related environmental problems. Policies and actual service delivery by the City of Tshwane, responsible for providing waste removal service to the area, were investigated; surveys were conducted among waste removal contractors in and around Winterveld, and the residents from both formal and informal settlements. Field surveys were conducted to identify environmental problems on site, dumping sites and their change over time were mapped and digitized on orthophotos. Vegetation surveys complemented the fieldwork, as illegal dumping sites often are masked by vegetation. The following aspects were investigated: 1) the efficiency of governmental and municipal efforts regarding waste removal in informal Winterveld; 2) environmental and health problems caused by improper handling of waste; 3) the residents' attitudes towards waste management; 4) possible solutions to the problems. The findings revealed that Winterveld is not an exception from other informal settlements with regards to waste management. People are of the opinion that waste management is the sole responsibility of the government thus the residents are doing little to improve their own area. Government initiatives which include provision of facilities for waste management are misused and vandalised by the residents. Dumping along the roads, according to some residents is used as a call to the government to attract attention that the residents need removal services. The initiatives by the municipality should ensure that solid waste management facilities are socially acceptable and environmentally and economically sound. It is therefore very important to involve the community when investigate technologies that will benefit the economy and the environment maximally. Informing people may encourage them to change their negative attitudes by making them feel as an important part of waste management, this will eventually compel them to cooperate and play a positive role in waste management. Until such time that they change their attitudes, there is little hope that they will appreciate and protect the facilities provided. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology / MSc / Unrestricted