Indigenous crops, through their high nutritional value and hardy attributes, offer potential trade opportunities for rural farmers. There is a niche market that can be explored for these indigenous crops particularly with the growing demand for high nutritional value food in the country. These crops are mostly produced by rural households or gathered from the wild by rural farmers. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify potential markets for African leafy vegetables (ALVs) by farmers in Limpopo Province. Sixty households producing ALVs were selected with the composition of 54 women and six men, with this selection done using a purposive sampling procedure. Of the total production, 50–60% of the produce was sold in the informal market. It was evident that local rural markets constituted a greater portion of the total market at 73% and 20% allocated to hawkers in town. As a result, urban and periurban consumers present potential buyers since these areas are populated with the middle-class population which is susceptible to changing consumption trends. Because of this potential, supermarkets and township hawkers are proposed as the potential channel for ALVs targeting the identified population. Thus, it is suggested that, in order to create a synergy between economic improvement of rural farmers and trending consumer demands, the Department of Agriculture in Limpopo Province creates a conducive environment through which ALV farmers can be connected with supermarkets and township marketers.

Aims: This study analyses the production and commercialisation potential of indigenous leafy vegetables (ILV) in the Capricorn district in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Specific objectives were to identify the socio-economic characteristics of ILVs producers in rural areas of Capricorn district, investigate constraints faced by farmers in commercialising ILVs in rural areas of Capricorn district, determine the productivity of indigenous leafy vegetables in rural areas of Capricorn district, and to assess different types of marketing channels of ILVs in rural areas of Capricorn district. Study Design: The study used both qualitative and quantitative, cross-sectional data. The selection of ILV farmers within the study area was done using stratified random sampling procedure the strata being gender. Disproportionate random sampling procedure was used to select individual households. Methodology: The study used Stochastic Frontier Production Function to determine the productivity and to assess the socio-economic characteristics of producers of Indigenous

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This paper highlighted the importance of the establishment of vegetable markets, fruit markets and nurseries in the Greater Sekhukhune district, Limpopo Province, South Africa. This entailed taking a representative sample consisting of 69 agricultural projects, with 1096 beneficiaries participating in this research. The following 5 local municipalities were visited: Ephraim Mogale, Greater Tubatse, Elias Motsoaledi, Fetakgomo and Makhuduthamaga. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used in the form of a detailed questionnaire written in English, a focus group discussion, a stakeholder's discussion, and field observations as part of the data collection. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the 69 projects, in order to cover uniformity and homogenous characteristics such as infrastructure requirements, skills availability, production challenges, agricultural training needs, water source needs, educational level and others. Data was coded, captured, and analyzed with the Software Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20) using Descriptive Analysis and Univariate Regression Analysis. The results showed a significant association among the following variables: age, educational level, farming experience, land size, land acquisition, crops planted, water source and market participation. It is recommended that fruit and vegetable markets be established, as well as the creation of a complete, viable agro-value chain that will expand community driven agricultural production and processing.

The study estimates sunflower supply response in South Africa using time series data from 1947 to 2016, and modelled through the Nerlovian Partial Adjustment approach. The shortand long-run price elasticities of 0.238 and 0.313 respectively, suggest that farmers do not easily adjust acreage devoted to sunflower given price changes, which is an indicator of the influence of other non-price factors. An adjustment coefficient of 0.272 estimates that the time taken to adjust from the actual acreage level to the desired acreage level is slow, at 27% per year. The estimated elasticities, though inelastic, provide some scope for using a pricing policy, as well as integrating non-market factors, to influence supply of sunflower that can reduce the country's dependence on imports, as well as sustain the industry. This would facilitate decisionmaking of sunflower producers to spearhead internal and external adjustment processes. The study contributes to a growing body of literature on agricultural supply response due to economic and non-economic supply determinants, thus providing evidence-based macroeconomic tools towards agricultural policy-making and reform process.