Access to extension and advisory services by emerging livestock farmers in uThungulu district municipality of KwaZulu-Natal
Keywords:
Access, Extension services, Emerging farmersAbstract
Lack of access to agricultural extension and advisory services has been identified as one of the major challenges facing emerging farmers in South Africa. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of access to these services by emerging livestock farmers in uThungulu District Municipality of KwaZulu-Natal. A survey design was used with face-to-face interviews to collect data using a semi-structured questionnaire. A sample of 1 437 was randomly selected from 4 792 emerging livestock farmers in the district. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 software. The results show that more than 90% of emerging livestock farmers in the district had high access to public extension and 14% had access to private extension, in addition. About 32% of the respondents also had access to extension and advisory services from agricultural cooperatives. There was an improvement in access to these services by emerging farmers compared to the past. The involvement of the private sector and cooperatives in rendering extension and advisory services to emerging livestock farmers shows that various stakeholders are involved in improving emerging livestock farmers in the province.
Downloads
References
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COUNCIL (ARC)., 2011. Concept towards Sustainable Agricultural Development. Pretoria: ARC.
AINSLEY, A., 2005. Farming cattle, cultivating relationship: Cattle ownership and cultural politics in Peddie District, Eastern Cape. Soc. Dynamics, 31:129-156.
AKPALU, D.A., 2013. Agriculture extension service delivery in a semi-arid rural areas in South Africa: the case study of Thorndale in the Limpopo Province. Afri J. Food, Agric. Nutr. Dev. 13(14): 8034-8057.
ALLSOPP, N., LAURENT, C., DEBEAUDOIN, L.M.C. & SAMUEL, M.I., 2007. Environmental perceptions and practices of livestock keepers on the Namaqualand commons challenge conventional rangeland management. J. Arid Environ., 70:740–754.
BAYER, W., ALCOCK, R. & GILLES, P., 2004. Going backwards? – Moving forward? – Nguni cattle in communal Kwazulu-Natal: Rural poverty reduction through research for development and transformation. A scientific paper presented at a conference held at Agricultural and Horticultural Faculty, Humboldt-Universität zu, Berlin, 1-7.
CHIMONYO, M., KUSINA N.T., HAMUDIKUWANDA, H. & NYONI, O., 1999. A survey on land use and usage of cattle for draught in a smallholder farming area of Zimbabwe. J Appl Sci S Afr., 5(2):111-121.
CHRISTOPLOS, I., 2010. Mobilizing the potential of rural and agricultural extension. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
COETZEE, L., MONTSHWE, B.D. &JOOSTE, A., 2005. The marketing of livestock on communal lands in the Eastern Cape Province: constraints, challenges and implications for the extension services in South Africa. S.Afr. J. Agric. Ext., 34(1):81-103.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES (DAFF)., 2012a. A profile of the South African mutton market value chain, the Year Book 2011/12. Pretoria: DAFF.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES (DAFF)., 2012b. Integrated growth and development plan. Pretoria: DAFF.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES (DAFF). 2012c. A framework for the development of smallholder farmers through cooperative development. Pretoria: DAFF.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES (DAFF)., 2017. Abstract of agricultural statistics. Pretoria: DAFF.
DÜVEL, G., H. 2005. Principles, realities and challenges regarding institutional linkages for participatory extension and rural development in South Africa. S.Afr. J. Agric. Ext., 34(2):188-200.
GOMES, F.P., 2009. Curso de estatistica experimental. 15th ed. Piracicaba: Elsaq.
GCUMISA, S.T., OGUTTU, J.W. & MASAFU, M.M., 2016. Pig farming in rural South Africa: A case study of uThukela District in KwaZulu-Natal. Indian J. Anim. Res, 50(4):614-620.
KHAPAYI, M. & CELLIERS, P.R., 2016. Factors limiting and preventing emerging farmers to progress to commercial agricultural farming in the King William's Town area of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. S. Afr. J. Agric. Ext., 44(1):25-41.
KOCH, B H. & TERBLANCHÉ, S.E., 2013. An overview of agricultural extension in South Africa. S. Afr. J. Agric. Ext., 41:107–117.
LEEUW, P.N., MCDERMOTT, J.J. & LEBBIE, S.H.B., 1995. Monitoring of livestock health and production in sub-Sahara Africa. Prev. Vet. Med., 25:195-212.
LEWU, F.B. & ASSEFA, Y., 2009. Farmers’ knowledge in cropping system of Northern KwaZulu-Natal: Current challenges and solution for suitable future food production. Afr J Agric Res, 4(11):1148-1153.
LUKHALO, T., 2017. An expenditure review of agricultural extension system in South Africa. Master’s Dissertation, University of Pretoria.
MAPIYE, C., CHIMONYO, M., DZAMA, K., RAATS, J.G. & MAPEKULA, M., 2009. Opportunities for improving Nguni cattle production in the smallholder farming. Livest Sci., 124(1-3):196–204.
MARANDURE, T., MAPIYE, C. MAKOMBE, G., NENGOVHELA, B. STRYDOM, P., MUCHENJE, V. & DZAMA, K., 2016. Determinants and opportunities for commercial marketing of beef cattle raised on communally owned natural pastures in South Africa. Afr J Range Forage Sci., 33(3):199-206.
MEISSNER, H.H., SCHOLTZ, M.M. & ENGELBRECHT, F.A., 2013. Sustainability of the South African Livestock Sector towards 2050 Part 2: challenges, changes and required implementations. S. Afr. J. Anim. Sci. 43(3):298-319.
MKHABELA, T., 2009. Linking farmers with markets in rural South Africa: Rural Development and Poverty. Alleviation through Supply Chain Management. Anim. Sci. J., 11(1):422-427.
MUDZILWANA, G., 2015. Determination of cattle ownership and herd size in Vhembe District of South Africa: A Tobit approach. Master’s Dissertation, University of Limpopo.
MULLER, P.R., 2003.The social impact of livestock: A developing 04 March 2015 country perspective. Anim. Sci. J., 74(4):245–253.
NDORO, J. T., MUDHARA, M. & CHIMONYO, M., 2014. Livestock extension programmes participation and impact on smallholder cattle productivity in KwaZulu-Natal: a propensity score matching approach. S. Afr. J. Agric. Ext., 42(2):62-80.
NEL, E. & DAVIES, J., 1999. Farming against the odds: an examination of the
challenges facing farming and rural development in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Appl Geogr., 19(1999):253–274.
NGOMANE, T., 2002. Public sector for the agricultural extension systems in the Northern Province of South Africa: A system undergoing transformation. Int J. Agric. Edu Ext., 9(3):31-37.
NNADI, F.N., UMUNAKWE, P.C., NNADI, C.D., CHIKAIRE, J. & OKAFOR, O.E., 2012. Cooperative evaluation of the effectiveness of public extension, private extension services in Alhaji Egbema Local Government area of Imo State, Nigeria, J. Agric. Res, 1(9):358–367.
OLADELE, O.I. & MABE, L.K., 2010. Job burnout and coping strategies among extension officers in North West province. Afr J Agric Res, 5(17):2321-232.
SCHOLTZ, M.M., MOKOLOBATE, M.C., JORDAAN, F. J, NESSER, F.W.C. & THEUNISSEN, A., 2016. A critical analysis of cow-calf efficiency in extensive beef production systems. Appl. Anim. Husb. Rural Develop, 9(1):11-20.
SCOONES, I., BISHI, A., MAPITSE, N., MOERANE, R., PENRITH, M.L., SIBANDA, R., THOMSON, G. & WOLMER, W., 2010. Foot-and-mouth disease and market access: challenges for the beef industry in southern Africa. Pastoralism, 1(2):135-164.
SIKWELA, M.M. & MUSHUNJE, A., 2013. The impact of farmer support programmes on household income and sustainability in smallholder production: A case study of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal farmers, South Africa. Afr. J. Agric. Res 8(21):2502-2511.
STONES, W.A. & TERBLANCHÉ, S.E., 2012. The Evaluation of the subtropical crops extension and advisory service (subtrop) as perceived by farmer members in the subtropical regions, South Africa. S.Afr. J. Agric. Ext., 40(1):58-67.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CONSORTIUM (SDC)., 2007. A settlement and implementation support strategy for land and agrarian reform in South Africa. Pretoria: Commission on Restitution of Land Rights.
WILLIAMS, B., MAYSON, D., DE SATGÉ, R., EPSTEIN, S. & SEMWAYO, T., 2008. Extension and Smallholder Agriculture: Key Issues from a Review of the Literature. Cape Town: Phuhlisani.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 M.M.S. Maake, N.Z. Nkosi, M.A. Antwi, M.M. Masafu, T.T. Rubhara
![Creative Commons License](http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.