Analyzing the delivery of public agricultural extension services to rural households during Covid-19: A case study of Idutywa, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Keywords:
Households, Covid-19, Access to Public Extension Services, logit modelAbstract
This study analysed the delivery of public agricultural extension services to the rural households of Idutywa, Eastern Cape. Primary data were collected from 75 participants. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. Results revealed that there is generally a lack of access to extension services by households in the study area. Above all, the findings showed that access to agricultural extension services is influenced by limited movements, cellphone data, household size, and a limited number of farmers for training. Based on the control and treated variables, the Average Treatment Effect Treated from Kernel, Nearest Neighbours, and Radius matching methods were found to be negative which means that if farmers did not receive the program during the pandemic, the performance and yields were going to be very poor and low. The study recommends that extension officers should be empowered with modern tools to deliver need-based agricultural extension services in the future.
Downloads
References
AFFUL, D.B. AND LATEGAN, F.S. 2014. Small and medium-scale producers’ use and credibility of information sources: implications for public extension’s financial sustainability. South African Journal of Agricultural Extension, 42 (1): 27-38.
AGHOLOR, A.I. 2012. The quality of extension education delivery among livestock farmers in central Eastern Cape. A case study of Nkonkobe Local Municipality. Unpublished Master’s Thesis, University of Fort Hare, Alice.
BEMBRIDGE, T.J. 1991. The practice of agricultural extension- a training manual. DBSA, halfway house.
CHRISTOPLOS, I., 2010. Mobilizing the potential of rural and agricultural extension. Neuchâtel Group.
CHRISTIAN, M., JIBA, P. AND MDODA, L., 2020. Factors Influencing Rain-Fed Agricultural Land Abandonment in Mnquma and Mbashe Municipalities, Eastern Cape. International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering. 9(2): 2277-3878.
CHRISTIAN, M, LUVHENGO, U, KHOBAI, H, AND AGBUGBA, IK., 2020. Reviewing land access livelihood diversification strategies and factors influencing wellbeing of rural households in Mnquma, Eastern cCape: Implications to extension agents. S. Afr. J. Agric. Ext. 48(2): 113 - 125.
CONRADIE, B.I. 2016. The implications of a weak public extension service for the productivity performance of Karoo agriculture. South African Journal of Agricultural Extension, 44(2): 99-109.
HALL, R. AND KEPE, T. 2017. Elite capture and state neglect: new evidence on South Africa’s land reform. Review of African Political Economy, 44(151): 122-130.
HLATSHWAYO, P.P.K. AND WORTH, S.H. 2016. Stakeholders’ Perceptions about Visibility and Accountability of the State Agricultural Extension in Nquthu Area, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. South African Journal of Agricultural Extension, 44(2), 174-185.
JONES K.E., PATELN.G., LEVYM..A., STOREYGARD, A., BALK, D, GITTLEMAN J.L., DASZAK P. 2008. Global trends in emerging infectious diseases. Nature 451, 990-993.
KOCH, B. H. AND TERBLANCHÉ, S. E. 2013. An overview of agricultural extension in South Africa. South African Journal of Agricultural Extension, 41(1): 107-117.
LIEBENBERG. F. 2015. Agricultural Advisory Services in South Africa. Discussion paper. University of Pretoria: South Africa.
MAOBA, S. 2016. Farmers’ perception of agricultural extension service delivery in Germiston region, Gauteng Province, South Africa. South African Journal of Agricultural Extension 44 (2):167 –173.
NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, SOUTH AFRICA. MINISTER OF HEALTH UPDATE [TWITTER] 2020. https://twitter.com/HealthZA/status/1242507959852302336?s=19 (accessed 24 March 2020).
National Department of Health, South Africa. Latest confirmed cases of COVID-19 (23rd March 2020). https://sacoronavirus.co.za/2020/03/23/latest-confirmed-cases-of-covid-19-23rd-march-2020/ (accessed 24 March 2020).
NICD.2020. COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiology Brief Week 18, 2020 www.nicd.ac.za
NKOSI, N.Z. 2017. Level of Access to Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services by Emerging Livestock Farmers in UThungulu District Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal Province. Unpublished Master’s Thesis. The University of South Africa.
SIKWELA, M.M. 2013. The impact of farmer support programmes on market access of smallholder farmers in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, South Africa. Ph.D. Thesis. Unpublished dissertation University of Fort Hare Alice, South Africa.
WHO. WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19-11 March 2020. https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/whodirector-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19--- 11-march-2020 (accessed April 23, 2020).
WHO. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation reports. https:// www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situationreports (accessed April 23, 2020).
World Health Organization WHO. 2020. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019. Accessed 10 April 2020.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 C. Mzuyanda, U. Luvhengo, P. Jiba, H. Khobai, S.S. Letsoalo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
.png){kind=spacer}