Small-Scale Agriculture as a Panacea in Enhancing South African Rural Economies

Abstract

The small-scale agricultural sector is considered as an indispensable role player in improving the South African rural economies by means of enhancing sustainable rural livelihoods. This paper critically assesses the contribution of small-scale agriculture in enhancing the South African rural economies. The South African Government have numerous agricultural interventions as an approach to improving rural livelihoods. Despite various policies and interventions that have been in place to ensure that small-scale agriculture improves rural economies; there is still a dearth of research in understanding small-scale agriculture dynamics that affect rural economies. Some of the essential aspects of the findings reveal that rural communities in South Africa regard small-scale agriculture as a source of income generation and enhancing food security. These findings highlight the negative effects on the South African small-scale agriculture suffering from insufficient productivity, infertility of soil, insufficient water and climate change. The poor access to markets and inadequate financial support services were identified as the major constraints that hinder small-scale agriculture to contribute to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and rural economic development. The small-scale agricultural sector should come up with self-sufficient interventions to avoid dependence on the Government and other stakeholders.

Can small-scale farming systems serve as an economic engine in the former homelands of South Africa?

“…These dynamics of on-farm vs. off-farm income are important to understand how households patch together a livelihood from all the different sources and what this means for the role of agriculture in each region. Complementary to the findings of Mbatha and Masuku (2018), small-scale farming could be seen as "enhancing" rural economies by contributing food, although it is not the primary source of income for many households as was reported for households in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire (Alemayehu et al, 2022). Even so, our results indicate that there is potential for small-scale farming to be explored as a primary source of income for a few households (those on the right-hand side of Figures 3, 4).…”

Small-scale Farming and Access to Market: Challenges and Opportunities in South Africa

“…Thus, Adulunle (2018) asserts that the small-scale farming sector has played a measurable role in addressing global food crisis by creating an alternative means of income and food stability for the rural population. In Mpumalanga province (South Africa) for in-stance, 79% of the population is engaged in the small-scale farming sector (Masuku & Mbatha 2018). This proves that the majority of rural population in Mpumalanga grow their own food and their income is mostly agricultural centred within the small-scale farming sector.…”

Analysis of agricultural sector productivity improvement strategies through cooperative institutions

“…Therefore, there is a need for cooperation between the government and non-governmental organizations and the private sector to increase the capacity of farmers so that they can increase food crop production. Mbatha and Masuku (2018) mentioned that the small-scale agricultural sector is considered an indispensable role player in improving the rural economy in South Africa. The research recommends that small-scale agriculture should have independent interventions to avoid dependency on government and other stakeholders.…”