Patrick Hitayezu

Farm households' participation in rural non-farm employment in post-war Rwanda: Drivers and policy implications

Despite the post-war governments unprecedented efforts to stimulate growth of the rural non-farm (RNF) sector in Rwanda, evidence suggests that participation in this sector remains low compared with other developing and transition economies. This study investigates the micro and meso-level factors defining farm households capacity and incentives to participate in RNF employment in the post-war Rwanda. Based on the households time allocation theory, this study employs household survey data collected in Gisagara District in a double-hurdle regression. The results reveal that female-headedness, labour availability, education, social networks, access to finance and rural towns increase the probability of participating in RNF activities, whereas for participating households, the time allocated to RNF activities tends to decrease with age, land productivity, distance to market and dispersed settlements. The article concludes with key implications for rural development policies such as basic education and umudugudu settlements.

Some Aspects of Agricultural Vulnerability to Climate Change in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, South Africa: A Systematic Review

Abstract The present study uses a systematic review method to document the extent of agricultural vulnerability to climate change (CC) in the midlands region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. With regard to exposure, the CC detection literature suggests that the region is a hotspot of CC, and most climate model projections show warming and wetting trends towards the end of the 21st century. The sensitivity of farming systems is high due to high population density, large share of small-scale farmers, low rate of irrigation, and susceptibility to land degradation. The highly diversified cropping portfolios in the region are the major sources of resilience. The adaptive capacity is compromised by lack of access to public infrastructure, lower liquidity and income prospects, rural exodus, skills shortage, and limited inter-household cooperation. Policymakers should, therefore, devise a regional CC communication strategy, promote crop diversification and irrigation water governance, and mainstream CC adaptation in the rural development objectives.

Farm-level crop diversification in the Midlands region of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa: patterns, microeconomic drivers, and policy implications

ABSTRACT This study assesses the multiple cropping practices among small-scale farmers in KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, South Africa. Based on household survey data, a principal component analysis unveils some dominant crop combination practices such as planting maize and other food crops on the same field, growing sugarcane, vegetables, and potatoes, and combining trees with fodder production. The results of logit transformation models suggest that crop diversification is generally constrained by technological factors (land and labor), and mitigating income and production risks are key motivations among poorer farmers. These findings infer that crop diversification could be a major co-benefit of the ongoing land reform, but explicit strategies should focus on dryland farming areas.

Drivers of cattle commercialization in rural South Africa: A combined test of transaction cost and store-of-wealth hypotheses

ABSTRACT Empirical studies investigate micro-level determinants of livestock market participation among smallholders from either the transaction cost or the consumption smoothing perspective. Based on the sustainable livelihoods framework (SLF), this study proposes a unifying lens through which key insights from the two perspectives can be conceptually synthesized. Leveraging on the proposed unifying lens, a cross-sectional dataset from a survey of 230 cattle farmers in the Okhahlamba Local Municipality is employed in the analysis of a Double Hurdle model. In line with the transaction cost hypothesis, the preliminary results suggest that education and cattle productivity influence positively the decision to participate in cattle markets, and given positive decision, the supply volume increases with proximity to rural towns. Vindicating the store-of-wealth hypothesis, the results also show a negative effect of access to water sources on the market participation decision, coupled with a positive and negative effects of cattle productivity and expected price, respectively, on supply volumes. The article concludes with some implications for rural development policy in South Africa.

Assessing agricultural land-use change in the Midlands region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: application of mixed multinomial logit

On-farm tree cultivation is considered an important strategy to mitigate detrimental environmental impacts of agricultural land-use change (ALUC). In South Africa, however, little is known about farm-level incentives and constraints that govern ALUC decisions among small-scale farmers. To address this knowledge gap, this study employs a mixed multinomial logit model by using a combination of revealed and stated preference data. After correcting for endogeneity, the estimated results show that decisions about ALUC are rationally derived and driven by clear but heterogeneous preferences and trade-offs between crop productivity, food security and labour saving. The results further show that the decision to plant sugarcane is constrained by landholding, whilst farmland afforestation is negatively influenced by household size. Decisions to convert land use are also driven by the behaviour of peer groups and agro-ecological conditions. Based on these findings, important policy implications for sustainable land use are outlined.