Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In South Africa the racial and agricultural policies aimed at national food self-sufficiency
created an agricultural structure dominated by large, mechanised farms that are owned and
operated by a small number of individuals or companies. New agricultural policy should
therefore focus more on peasant farming in the subsistence sector in order to promote the
development of sustainable small-scale farming units. The liberalisation of agricultural
markets resulted in a fundamental change of political and economic framework conditions
for the commercial agricultural sector. Failure to adapt has led to significant inefficiency
and financial problems in commercial agriculture.
This thesis initially focuses on the general question of the efficient organisational form of
agriculture. With reference to the German agricultural structure, family farming will be
identified as a superior organisational form and the utility optimal factor allocation of this
organisational form is explained with the aid of the agricultural household theory.
South Africa's agricultural structure is marked by extreme dualism, which was caused by
political intervention in the labour and capital markets. The current liberal agricultural
policy framework makes commercial agriculture in particular seem inefficient and gives
reason to question the current organisational form of South African agriculture.
Besides the basic socio-political objectives, the growth objective is one of the most
important factors in the development of subsistence agriculture. The contribution of
agriculture is not restricted to food production. In fact, the factor contribution is important
in achieving economic growth, especially in developing countries.
Future developments in the South African agricultural sector will be strongly influenced by
the international market. In this respect South Africa, Germany and many other Western
industrialised countries are undergoing a similar transformation process that corresponds
with the spatial agricultural land use in location theory. Location rent implies differing
costs for the use of land, and this is the case for the development of different agricultural
systems depending on their distance from the market. The family farming model can be
considered as having failed in the South African economy, except in some niche markets.
The number of family farms is in fact growing, but there is also a tendency towards more
large-scale industrialised agricultural units. The subsistence sector will remain dominated by family farming in the future, although the
agricultural household represents a kind of survival institution in these areas. Despite all
problems in the subsistence sector, there is no alternative to family farming, and
development of subsistence farming is only foreseeable within the framework of family
farming. Subsistence farming as a social security system could, however, decline in
importance in the future. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In Suid-Afrika het die klem op voedselselfversorgenheid, wat voortgevloei het uit rasse- en
landbou-beleidsrigtings, veroorsaak dat die landbou struktureel gedomineer is deur groot,
hoogs gemeganiseerde plase wat besit en bedryf is deur 'n klein aantal individue of
maatskappye. Die fokus van landboubeleid in die toekoms behoort dus te wees op
kleinboere om te verseker dat 'n volhoubare struktuur van klein plase daargestel word.
Hierdie verandering moet gepaard gaan met die proses van libelarisering van die
landbousektor, wat fundamentele veranderings in die bedryomgewing van die sektor
teweeg gebring het. Tot op datum het die gebrek aan vordering hiermee verskeie probleme
in die kommersiële sektor tot gevolg gehad.
Hierdie studie begin met die algemene vraag oor die struktuur van 'n doeltreffende
landboustelsel, dus die doeltreffende organisasievorm. Die ondervinding van die Duitse
landbou word gebruik om te wys op die relatiewe doeltreffendheid van die familieboerdery
as kern vorm. Die teorie van die huishouding word gebruik om om te wys op die beter
vermoë van familieboerdery om hulpbronne optimaal te allokeer.
Politieke inmenging in die kapitaal en arbeidsmarkte het aanleiding gegee tot 'n hoë mate
van dualisme in die Suid-Afrikaanse landbousektor. Die bestaande liberale beleid het ook
verskeie ondoeltreffendhede in die kommersiële sektor ontbloot, en dus is daar 'n groter
bevraagtekening van die huidige organisasievorms in die sektor.
Die doelwit van groei blyeen van die belangrikste doelwitte in die landbou, ten spyte van
die heersende klem op basiese sosio-politieke doelstellings. Die bydrae van die landbou
strek verder as bloot voedselverskaffing, en sluit ook in verskeie ander faktorbydraes, veral
in ontwikkelende lande.
Verdere ontwikkelings in die Suid-Afrikaanse landbou sal sterk beinvloed word deur
veranderings in die wêreldmark. In hierdie opsig is Suid-Afrika besig om dieselfde soort
van transformasie te ondergaan as lande soos Duitsland en ander van die nywerheidslande.
Die sterkste invloed sal na verwagting gevoel word in terme van die ligging van landbouproducksie.
Die implikasie is dat afstand van die mark al hoe meer belangrik gaan word in
besluite oor die optimale organisasievorm. In hierdie opsig het Suid-Afrika 'n agterstand as
gevolg van die gebrek aan aandag vir die ontwikkeling van volhoubare familieboerderye.
Ten spyte hiervan groei die aantal familiboerderye teselfdertyd as die groei in die aantal
groot korporatiewe plase, hoofsaaklik as gevolg van die oor-aanbod van arbeid. Die verwagting is dat familiboerdery sal bly domineer in die bestaanssektor, al het dit meer die
aard van 'n laaste uitweg aangeneem vir baie gesinne. Ten spyte van sy probleme, is daar
geen alternatiewe organisasievorm in die ontwikkelende landbou wat ook kan bydra tot die
sukses van die sektor nie. Die verwagting is egter ook dat familieboerdery as sosiale
verskynsel sal afneem in belangrikheid.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/51612 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Schulze Ehring, Michael |
| Contributors | Vink, N., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of AgriSciences. Dept. of Agricultural Economics . |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 143 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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