Philippus Christoffel Cloete

Consumption of Indigenous and Traditional Food Crops: Perceptions and Realities from South Africa

Strategies adopted to address ongoing food insecurity, hunger, and malnutrition, particularly in developing countries, narrow the food supply base by using technological options that neglect indigenous and traditional food crop systems. These crops are commonly being labeled as “poor peoples food” by South African consumers. The question that arises is whether this categorization is justified and what interventions are needed to unlock the potential of these crops in improving household food security levels. Survey data of 600 African households in the North West Province of South Africa was used for the analysis of the consumption patterns of several traditional and indigenous food crops. The results show that the link between income and the consumption of these food crops is more nuanced.

Game ranching inter-sectoral linkages: A structural path analysis for South Africa

Unfamiliarity with the economic structure of the game ranching sector is regarded as one of the reasons why questions are raised with regard to the potential economic impact of continued growth in the sector. This study employs structural path analysis to provide a better understanding and subsequently improves the ability to conceptualise the potential economic impact of the sector. Amongst others, results revealed strong economic links between the community, social and personal, chemicals and chemical products, manufacturing and equipment, transport equipment, business services sector, and so forth, either directly or indirectly, and the game ranching sector. The same accounts for income distribution, with households receiving income from production activities in other sectors that are directly or indirectly generated by stimulus within the game ranching sector. Finally, results underline the fact that game ranching has the potential for making a meaningful contribution towards economic and socioeconomic challenges in South Africa.

Promoting food security through indigenous and traditional food crops

ABSTRACT Despite many factors weighing in South Africa’s favor on the agricultural front, including having official “food secure” status, millions of households have insufficient access to nutritionally safe food. This is largely a function of poverty, which is particularly pervasive in the rural areas. While the government’s largely unsuccessful agricultural development programs have focused on large-scale commercial crops, such as wheat and maize, indigenous and traditional food crops could play a significant role. In this article, multiple criteria analysis is used to identify indigenous and traditional food crops that have the greatest potential to enhance food security in South Africa. The different indigenous and traditional food crops options were rank according to set criteria that were derived from the definition for food security as adopted in the article. Accessibility, affordability and nutrition formed the basis of the definition as subsequently the criteria used to rank the alternatives. Results from the analysis revealed that sorghum, sweet potatoes, and amaranth are among the indigenous and traditional food crops with the greatest potential. Abbreviations: AgriSETA: Agricultural Sector Education and Training Authority; CAM: conflict analysis method; DAFF: Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; IFSS: integrated food security strategy; ITFCs: indigenous and traditional food crops; FAO: Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations; MCA: multiple criteria analysis; NWP: North West Province; PIR-sensitivity test: preference, indifference, and incomparability test; PSPPD: Programme to Support Pro-Poor Policy Development

An analysis of factors affecting access to credit in Lesotho's smallholder agricultural sector

The agricultural sector in Lesotho is underperforming mainly due to the inability of smallholders to move from traditional agriculture to a more scientific and technology-based one. Among the challenges inhibiting the ability of smallholders to make the step up is access to financial services, especially credit. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that may influence the ability of smallholders to access finance by making use of a logistic regression model within the principle component regression framework. The results revealed that the ability of smallholders to access finance, and the potential to make the transition towards a more scientific and technology-based agriculture sector, is influenced by the level of farm and non-farm income, remittances and pension, farm size, availability of family labour, land ownership, savings and repayment ability. The results present important information in terms of guiding institutional arrangements needed to improve credit availability in Lesotho.

Choosing between agricultural development projects in the North West Province of South Africa: A multiple criteria analysis

In the light of past development failures, coupled with the pressure on government to deliver on their promises made towards agricultural development, a need was developed for a framework to assist government in choosing between agricultural development projects in the North West Province, consequently assisting government with their budget allocation towards agricultural development. Consequently, detailed agricultural development plans were drafted with the intent to provide a framework or roadmap that will enable small-scale farmers to be more successful over the long term. With a government that is often faced with strict budget constraints, budget allocations to agricultural development initiatives should be done in a way that will yield the highest economic, social and environmental returns. Hence, a decision support system that will guide budget allocation for agricultural development initiatives is sorely needed. This article provides a framework on how multiple criteria analysis can be used as a decision support tool that will ensure optimal budget allocation for agricultural development. Findings from the study concluded that the beef production (based on a joint venture business concept and linked to the Western Frontier Beef Beneficiation program) is one of the most viable and sustainable agricultural projects in the North West Province. Following beef production is vegetable production which makes use of the contract grower concept, goat meat (Public Private Partnership), grain (joint venture), veldt management and the Taung Irrigation Scheme which employs contract farming.

Factors influencing the competitiveness of the South African wheat industry : a hedonic price model

ABSTRACT The South African wheat industry has been under severe pressure in recent years. Prescribed high wheat quality, which is enforced via cultivar release criteria, is believed to have negatively influenced the productivity and competitiveness of producers. The main hypothesis is that producers deliver lower yields because of high quality requirements and are not compensated for this high quality since prices are still determined by the lowest import parity price. Whether or not this is actually the case must be determined, firstly, by identifying the factors that influence the price of wheat, and secondly, by identifying the factors that do not influence the price of wheat but nevertheless have an adverse effect on producers’ productivity. In this study, a hedonic price model, built on the premise that price is a function of all the characteristics that the product possesses, is used to precisely determine the factors that impact – or otherwise – on price levels in the South African wheat industry. The authors apply the hedonic price model using a three-step process to obtain the best-fitting model for the available data. The results reveal that variations in price are mainly a function of Colour, P/L, Defects and Fall, and that these factors should form the basis of the prescribed quality to producers. By knowing the wheat characteristics that must be included in, and excluded from, the release criteria (prescribed quality) system, producers will be able to produce goods that positively impact their productivity as well as their competitiveness.

A historical perspective of the link between economic recessions and agricultural trade performance: the case of South Africa's fruit and wine exports

ABSTRACT The recent global recession, caused by the financial crisis of 2008–2009, resulted in a significant drop in global merchandise trade. However, international trade in agricultural and food products seemed more resilient. This poses the question as to what extent recent and previous economic recessions have had an effect on the trade flows of these specific products. An understanding of this connection will assist the agricultural sector to pro-actively strategize for future economic downturns in their respective export markets. Hence this study uses South Africas exports of fresh fruits and wine as a case study and applies an import demand model to analyse the relationship between export flows, several demand factors and economic shocks in its traditional export markets over the last 28 years. The results reveal that change in real per capita income is a much more significant determinant of import demand for South Africas fruit and wine than the incidence of an economic recession. Contrary to general perceptions, economic downturns even positively affected the import demand for wine and apples.