Productivity and constraints of small-scale crop farming in the summer rainfall region of South Africa

Abstract

The South African policy sphere hails the commercialisation of small-scale farming as the answer to a myriad of socio-economic, ecological and political challenges of rural livelihoods. Yet the low agricultural productivity of this sector challenges the realisation of this pathway. Through comparison with large-scale farmers, this review sought to elicit the main reasons for differences in productivity and explore the prospects of small-scale farming. It highlights that low productivity of small-scale farming cannot be solely ascribed to biophysical constraints and that differences rather arise at farm and regional level. Therefore, intervention strategies should not be solely sought at field scale, which seems to be the norm. While the prospects of small-scale farming may seem gloomy at first glance, opportunities such as investing in horticulture exist. Prospects for small-scale farming are limited by the country's very competitive and thriving large-scale farming that saturate most agricultural markets. A key conclusion from this review is that we still do not know enough about small-scale farming systems in South Africa. For example, what is the contribution of small-scale farming to the living income of households? Are farming households food and nutrition secure? In particular, the role of agriculture in improving rural livelihoods is poorly understood. Farming is likely to remain an important supplementary livelihood opportunity for the majority of rural households. As such, small-scale farming needs to be rethought as part of a broader livelihood strategy by all stakeholders while continuously seeking alternative entry points towards thriving rural livelihoods. This means provision of support for transition to more commercial farming activities for those with interest and sufficient resources, while alternative employment or social protection is provided for others. A key question for research is what types of farming (crops and livestock) and what scale of operation is needed to achieve commercial success in different regions.

An Evaluation of Factors Affecting Small, Medium, and Microenterprises for Commercial Farming: A Case For Smallholding Farmers In Wintervedlt

“…Scale is important; however, with high-value irrigated crops such as nuts, high yields can be realised even on smallholder farms (Mathinya et al, 2022). This argument is consistent with Kirsten and van Zyl (1998), who emphasise the optimal use of the land.…”

“…Most smallscale/smallholder farms operate in areas that were part of the former homelands and are also entangled by racial undertones, as large-scale farming is associated with white farmers. In contrast, small-scale farming is associated with black farmers (Mathinya et al, 2022). This perception may seem backwards as homelands ceased to exist in South Africa approximately in 1994.…”

“…The reality is that many of the smallholder farms in former homelands struggle to transmission to commercialisation. The term small-scale farming refers to all farmers with little commercial activity, with no racial connotations (Mathinya et al, 2022).…”

“…The government needs to be intentional in its policies to help smallholder farmers improve their production efficiency (Obi & Ayodeji, 2020); moreover, government policies should be evidence-based and should not rely on ideologies to be effective (Mathinya et al, 2022). Policymakers should consider available credible studies on smallholder farmers to develop policies for implementation that are relevant and impactful.…”

Factors Influencing the performance of agricultural extension services on women farmer groups in Luwu Regency, Indonesia

“…menyatakan bahwa keterhubungan sosial diperlukan bagi kegiatan pertanian untuk memperoleh akses yang diinginkan terutama dalam lingkungan yang kondusif dan efektivitas pemasaran hasil usaha. Sejalan dengan hal tersebut,Mathinya et al (2022) menyatakan bahwa pertanian skala kecil seperti kelompok tani perlu mendapatkan dukungan agar menjadi salah satu sumber mata pencaharian yang dapat diandalkan di lingkungan pedesaan khususnya mengarah pada pertanian yang lebih komersil dengan orientasi pada pemasaran hasil.…”