The study was designed to assess the impact of irrigation schemes on livelihood strategies
and food security status of smallholder maize farmers in North West Province of South Africa
and covered three districts of the North West Province namely: Dr Ngaka Modiri Molema
district, Bojanala district and Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati district. In this study, a
descriptive survey design was used and a sample of farmers was interviewed from the list
of farmers obtained from the extension workers. The targeted group was male farmers in
irrigation farming and those who farm within the radius of the irrigation scheme. A
questionnaire was designed as the primary tool for data collection and the process of
collecting data involved face to face interviews and group discussions. Data collected were
coded and entered into Microsoft Excel and then transferred to Statistical Package for Social
Scientists (SPSS). To analyse data, descriptive and inferential statistics were used.
The results of multiple regression analysis of relationship between irrigation farming and
livelihood strategies showed that the independent variables were significantly related to
livelihood strategies of the farmers with an F value of 8.067, p< 0.05 and R value of 0. 788
showed that there was strong correlation between the independent variable and the
household livelihood strategies. Significant determinants were marital status (t= 2.43),
number of household (t= 5.41), nonfarm activity (t=1.73) and income (t= 6.59).
The probit model was used to determine the influence of the socio-economic variables on
household food security status. The model has a good fit and significant with two explanatory'
variables being significant while eleven variables were insignificant. The significant
variables were income and Land. The results of Forster Greer Thorbecke showed that about
(1.5%) of the respondents are living below the threshold of (R9.2) per day, while the per
capital income of respondents that are below the poverty line needed to be increased by
(0.5%) to meet the level of poverty line. The results also showed severity of (0.1%), this
implied that the gap of respondents from the poverty line is very small. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Agric Economics) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2013
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/14739 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Balarane, Abongile |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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