Barriers Affecting Sustainable Agricultural Productivity of Smallholder Farmers in the Eastern Free State of South Africa

Abstract

Sustainable Agricultural Practices (SAPs) are the most promising pathways to enhance the productivity and resilience of agricultural production of smallholder farming systems while conserving the natural resources. This study was undertaken to identify the barriers affecting sustainable agricultural productivity of smallholder farmers in the eastern Free State, South Africa. Data were collected from 359 smallholder farmers using questionnaires and the validity of the collected data was confirmed through focus group discussions with key informants. Descriptive statistics and a binary logistic regression model were used to analyze data. Results indicated that traditional SAPs such as intercropping, mulching and crop rotation were more likely to be adopted by farmers with access to land yet without access to credit (and had low levels of education, although this finding was not significant). In contrast, new SAPs such as cover cropping, minimum-tillage, tied ridging and planting pits were more knowledge (education), capital and labor intensive. Therefore, extension strategies should take these differences into consideration when promoting both the adoption of traditional SAPs and new SAPs. Targeting resource-constrained farmers (in terms of access to credit and education) through raising awareness and building capacity is essential to ensure the adoption of traditional SAPs. In turn, promoting the adoption of new SAPs not only needs awareness raising and capacity building but also must fundamentally address resource constraints of South African smallholder farmers such as knowledge, capital and labor. It is recommended that government should provide resources and infrastructure to improve the quality and outreach of extension services through field demonstration trials and training.

Determinants of the Adoption of Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices by Small-Scale Farming Households in King Cetshwayo District Municipality, South Africa

“…This result is in line with the conclusion of Onyeneke et al [47] who established that there is an increased likelihood for the adjustment of the agricultural production systems with an increase in farm income. Vera et al [1], Wollni et al [49] and Katengeza et al [60] also confirm a statistically significant positive influence of farm income on the intensity of adoption of technologies and climate change adaptation. With an increase in income from farming activities, farmers would be able to acquire resources needed for the adoption of recommended practices or newly obtained information either from extension services, colleagues, social platforms or the media.…”

“…Access to alternative sources of income could translate into an increased capacity for the adoption of practices or technologies for households, since such households may enjoy better exposure to information and be able to finance investments. On the other hand, employment outside farming activities may reduce the time and effort devoted to farming activities, causing a reduction in labor endowment and investments in the adoption of new or recommended practices or technologies [12,49].…”

Crop Pollination in Small-Scale Agriculture in Tanzania: Household Dependence, Awareness and Conservation

“…For example, since borrowed land for maize is far from home and the farmers have to move the distance back and forth or camp, extra financial resources is required, which increases investment costs. In addition, there is low efficiency and motivation in investing and utilizing borrowed land as reported by [51,52]. Both of the mentioned reasons increase cost of maize production, though local farmers seems to be more aware with direct cost such as seeds, fertilizer, and watering.…”

Synergies and Determinants of Sustainable Intensification Practices in Pakistani Agriculture

“…This gap will continue to widen unless the country does not respond to the challenges [6,7]. A plethora of literature suggests the adoption of sustainable agriculture as a measure to combat environment adversaries and improve production [8][9][10][11][12]. The sustainable intensification of agriculture involves the enhancement of the agricultural production of existing farmland without leading to environmental damage [13].…”