Dissertation (PhD)--Stellenbosch University 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It is indeed possible for agricultural institutions to render optimum services to farmers provided
that such services meet the requirements of the farmers. Insofar as the agricultural extension
and information arm of these services operated in the past, the emphasis was on keeping
abreast - on a scientific basis - of the needs of commercial farming. The reason for this was
that over the years a clear picture of the commercial farmer as individual and his particular
needs had emerged and the focus was on this.
The opposite is true of developing agriculture. It is evident from available literature that there
are substantial differences between them, and that these may well have a very real influence
on the nature of their information requirements. Inadequate knowledge and information
concerning the developing farmer - mainly as a result of very little personal contact at grassroots
level - therefore create a gap in the armour of the National Department of Agriculture
(NDA) as a service organisation. This study is aimed at making a contribution to this
inadequate - often totally lacking - pool of knowledge and to formulate a strategy that could
narrow this gap.
To gain an insight into and become conversant with the world of small farmers and subsistence
farmers and the influence that the realities of their lifestyle may ultimately have on their
ultimate information requirements and the implementation thereof, a profile was compiled of
traditional small-scale farmers in several Rural Areas of the Western Cape Province. This
information was acquired from recent surveys and studies carried out in these areas. Using this
profile as background, an attempt was made to describe the information environment by using
a qualitative investigation method known as the focus group data collection technique.
The findings of the investigation show that the very real need for land ownership and the
availability of financial assistance are primary needs. Before these problems are solved to the
satisfaction of small farmers, it can not be expected that they will identify information as a high
priority. As regards the utilisation of specific channels of information, fellow-farmers and
agricultural extension officers are identified as the most important personal channels, with the
radio and printed media as the major mass-media channels. In the absence of a departmental communication strategy, development support
communication (DSC) is put forward as a potential strategy to bridge the shortcomings that
emerged form the investigation. In fact, DSCis the liaison between interest groups with a view
to reaching consensuswhich leads to action in which the interests, needs and abilities of all role
players are taken into account. The role of the go-between to act as mediator between
ground-level communities and institutions such as the NDA's Directorate of Communication, and
extension and research would also be vital. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Institusionele dienslewering in die landbou kan optimaal geskied mits dit aan die behoeftes
van boere voldoen. Sover dit landbouvoorligting en -inligting as die ondersteuningsarm
daarvan betref, is in die verlede op wetenskaplike grondslag tred gehou met die behoeftes van
die kommersiële boerdery aangesien 'n kennispoeloor tyd opgebou is oor dié boer as persoon
en sy besondere behoeftes.
In ontwikkelingslandbou geld die teendeel. Uit die literatuur blyk dit dat daar aansienlike
verskille tussen kommersiële en kleinboere bestaan wat 'n wesentlike invloed op hul
inligtingsbehoeftes mag uitoefen. 'n Onvoldoende kennispoel van die ontwikkelende landbouer,
grootliks as gevolg van weinige grondvlakkontak, skep gevolglik 'n gaping in die mondering van
die Nasionale Departement van Landbou (NDL) as diensleweringsorganisasie. Die studie is
daarop gerig om 'n bydrae te lewer tot die gebrekkige en dikwels algehele ontbrekende
kennispoel en 'n strategie voor te hou ten einde die gaping te vernou.
Ten einde op hoogte te kom met die leefwêreld van kleinboere en bestaansboereen die invloed
wat die gegewe mag uitoefen op hul uiteindelike inligtingsbehoeftes en -benutting, is 'n profiel
saamgestel van tradisionele kleinboere in verskeie Landelike Gebiede van die Provinsie Wes-
Kaap. Die inligting is bekom uit resente opnames en studies wat in die Gebiede uitgevoer is.
Met die profiel as agtergrond, is voortgegaan om kleinboere in Landelike Gebiede se
inligtingsomge_wingte beskryf deur gebruik te maak van 'n kwalitatiewe ondersoekmetode
bekend as die fokusgroepdata-insamelingstegniek.
Die bevindings van die ondersoek toon dat die behoefte aan grondbesit en die beskikbaarheid
van finansiële hulpbronne primêre behoeftes is. Alvorens dit tot bevrediging van kleinboere
opgelos word, kan nie verwag word dat inligting as 'n hoë prioriteit deur hulle beleef sal word
nie. Wat die benutting van spesifieke inligtingskanale betref, word medeboere en
landbouvoorligters as die belangrikste persoonlike kanale gemeld, met die radio en die gedrukte
media as die belangrikste massamediakanale. By gebrek aan 'n departementele kommunikasiestrategie word ontwikkelingsteunkommunikasie
(aSK) as 'n potensiële strategie voorgehou om die leemtes te oorbrug wat in die ondersoek
aangetoon is. aSK is in wese die skakeling tussen belangegroepe met die oog op
konsensusbereiking wat oorgaan tot aksie en waarin die belange, behoeftes en vermoëns van
alle rolspelers in berekening gebring word. Van groot belang in die aSK-strategie is die rol van
die tussenganger wat bemiddelend optree tussen grondvlakgemeenskappe en instellings soos
die NDL se direktoraat Kommunikasie, landbouvoorligters en selfs navorsers.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/51844 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Viljoen, Hendrik Christophel |
| Contributors | Laubscher, J., Marincowitz, G. J. O., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of AgriSciences. Dept. of Agricultural Economics. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | af_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 201 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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