Farmers’ Goals and Efficiency in Small-Scale Maize Production: The Case of Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

Abstract

Farmers' goals in complementarity with natural, physical and financial assets are crucial for efficient production and productivity especially for rural development and economic growth. Goals can be defined as aspirations for which a person has decided to undertake for improved well-being. This article examined correlates of farmers' production efficiency, and their goals and other farmer/farm characteristics. The study was carried out at Qamata and Tyefu irrigation scheme in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, respectively. The study involved about 108 of farmers who were interviewed as source of primary data. This article assumes that farmers' goals have a greater impact on their production efficiency. The principal component analysis was employed to establish generalized perceived farmers' goals. Established principal component coefficients were regressed with generated production efficiency scores. A stochastic production frontier analysis was employed to generate the efficiency scores. Generated perceived principal component of farmers' goals included selfexpression (Farm status), business (profit) related goals, social (internal and external network and rules) related goals and independence goals (self-reliance). On average, smallholder farmers were technically inefficient in maize production with a score of about 44%. Farm and farmers' characteristics found to be significantly related to technical efficiency included household size (at 5% level of significance), years spent in school (at 5% level of significance), access to training on agronomy (at 5% level), crop incomes (at 5% level), and government social grants (at 1% level of significance). The perceived farmers' goal found to have a positive and significant impact on technical efficiency was farm status at 10% level, while farmers' goal related to business (profit maximization) had a negative relationship with technical efficiency at 5% level of significance. This study recommends that all stakeholders in smallholder agricultural sector should participate in planning and implementing policies that match farmers' goals and aspiration, and farmers' improved formal education and access to farm loans, without changing the existing technology.

Efficiency and Goals of Smallholder Sugarcane Farmers in Eswatini (Swaziland)

“…Sugarcane productivity is greatly affected by, among other factors, labour, basal fertilizer, top dressing fertilizer and land size SSA, 2015). Source: Crawford (2014), Esterhuizen and Pickelsimer (2014) and SSA (2015) However, a body of literature suggests that agricultural productivity is influenced by farmers' goals and production efficiency (Padilla-Fernandez & Nuthall, 2001;Basarir, 2002;Tew, 2010;Dindi, 2013;Kibirige, 2013;Sihlongonyane, 2014;Kibirige et al, 2016). Goals are considered to be specific end states toward which producers hold positive attitudes.…”

“…However, the ability to measure efficiency depends on the ability to comprehend the farmers' goals and preferences for different values of their right minds to maximise the desired utilities. Therefore, restricting farmers' goals and success to profit maximisation may lead to denunciation and misinterpretation of rural farmers' poor adoption of technologies and undermine rural development programmes (Kibirige et al, 2016). Thus, a goal and productive efficient oriented farmer will use scarce resources objectively and proficiently thereby improving productivity (Pereira, 2011).…”

“…Sugarcane productivity is thought to be boosted through increased amount of inputs, training of farmers and increased use of agro organic and chemical applications (Crawford, 2014). However, the mentioned agro-inputs and farmer training may not be the only factors responsible for increased sugarcane productivity but also intangible factors like farmers' lifestyle, social, intrinsic and family goals and technical, allocative and economic efficiency may augment productivity (Fairweather & Keating, 1990;Padilla-Fernandez & Nuthall, 2001;Basarir, 2002;Martz, 2006;Tew, 2010;Pereira, 2011;Kibirige, 2013;Kibirige et al, 2016). So far little rigorous work has been undertaken to quantitatively and qualitatively study the influence of goals on efficiency levels with the purpose of identifying ways of improving productive efficiency.…”

“…The respondents were implored to rate the rank of 20 out of 22 attitudinal statements pertaining to smallholder sugarcane farmers' goals. The goals were then clustered into five orientations called principal components based on Gason (1973), Fairweather and Keating (1990), Padilla-Fernandez and Nuthall (2001), Kibirige (2013) and Kibirige et al (2016). The five goal orientations generated include Instrumental orientation (GOAL 1), Sustainable orientation (GOAL 2), Family and leisure orientation (GOAL 3), Expressive orientation (GOAL 4) and Social status orientation (GOAL 5) as indicated in Table 8.…”

“…The business ego goals may be of great necessity to farmers for better performance as they strive to accomplish these ambitions. In support Kibirige et al (2016) noted that farmers' business goals can therefore be incorporated in rural development programmes for improved smallholder farmers' incomes and general livelihood. The second principal component accounted for 9.87% variations in the explanatory variables and mainly comprises of the sustainability aspiration.…”