Academic literature on the topic 'Maize farmers'

Thesis (MScAgric)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Maize is the most important field crop in South Africa. It is used for both animal feeds and human consumption. It is also used by many industries as an input, is a source of foreign exchange and of employment opportunities for many people in the country. It is an important component of the agricultural sector, plays an important role in the economy and presents opportunities in terms of agricultural investment and employment creation. The maize industry in South Africa has long history of government intervention where the price of maize was set by government through the office of the Minister of Agriculture. This was fuelled by the two Marketing Acts (of 1937 and 1968). During the period of these Acts, farmers were not exposed to international markets. However after the introduction of the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act (Act 47 of 1996), farmers have been exposed to international maize prices, i.e. to the forces of supply and demand. Farmers are no longer guaranteed a maize price during the beginning of the production season, and now have to use different methods to protect their income against a volatile maize price. Through forward contracting (hedging) their maize, farmers can minimize the price risk that they are facing. A number of instruments have been developed to assist farmers to protect themselves against price risk. In South Africa, SAFEX is used to reflect the expected future price of maize and it can be used by farmers as a reference for the expected price. Different factors affect the hedging decisions of farmers. The main objective of this study was to identify factors affecting the hedging decision of maize farmers in Gauteng, and hence their rate of adoption of hedging strategies. The study employed a number of methods in an effort to answer this question. Data analysis relating to factors affecting the hedging decision of the farmers was carried out using Excel and the SPSS statistical package and took the form of multiple cross tabulation. A Probit regression equation was estimated using the SPSS 20 statistical software package. In the case of the adoption rate of hedging by maize farmers in Gauteng, it was found that only 35 per cent of the maize farmers forward contract their maize against price risk. This implies that they are not protecting their income against price volatility through forward contracting. The results show that the factors that have the most influence on the decision whether to hedge are: the gender, age, and agricultural qualification of the principal decision maker; whether the decision maker is a member of a grain association and the size of that grain association; the length of period that the decision maker has been producing grain; the size of the farm; whether the farmer rents in land; the proportion of off-farm income earned and whether the farmer takes out insurance. These variables are all statistically significant at the 5 per cent level.<br>AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Mielies is die belangrikste akkerbougewas in Suid-Afrika. Dit word gebruik vir beide dierevoere en menslike verbruik. Dit word ook in baie bedrywe as ’n inset gebruik, vorm ’n bron van buitelandse valuta en verskaf werksgeleenthede aan baie mense in die land. Dit is ’n belangrike komponent van die landbousektor, speel ’n belangrike rol in die ekonomie en verskaf geleenthede in terme van landboubelegging en werkskepping. Die mieliebedryf in Suid-Afrika het ’n lang geskiedenis van regeringsingryping waardeur die prys van mielies deur die regering, by name van die kantoor van die Minister van Landbou, vasgestel is. Dit is aangevuur deur twee Bemarkingswette (van 1937 en 1968). Gedurende die tydperk van hierdie wette is boere nie aan internasionale markte blootgestel nie. Met die aanvang van die Wet op die Bemarking van Landbouprodukte (Wet 47 van 1996) is boere aan internasionale mieliepryse blootgestel, m.a.w. aan die kragte van vraag en aanbod. Boere word nie meer aan die begin van die produksieseisoen ’n mielieprys gewaarborg nie, en moet nou ander maniere vind om hulle inkomste teen ’n onbestendige mielieprys te beskerm. Deur die koop van termynkontrakte op hulle mielies (verskansing) kan boere die prysrisiko’s wat hulle in die gesig staar, minimaliseer. ’n Aantal instrumente is ontwikkel om boere te help om hulleself teen prysrisiko te beskerm. In Suid-Afrika word SAFEX gebruik om die verwagte toekomstige prys van mielies te weerspieël en dit kan deur boere as ’n verwysing na die verwagte prys gebruik word. Verskeie faktore beïnvloed die verskansingsbesluite van boere. Die belangrikste doelwit van hierdie studie was om faktore te identifiseer wat die verskansingsbesluit van mielieboere in Gauteng beïnvloed, en dus die tempo waarteen hulle verskansingstrategieë in gebruik neem. Die studie het ’n aantal metodes gebruik in ’n poging om hierdie vraag te beantwoord. Data-analise m.b.t. die faktore wat die verskansingsbesluit van die boere beïnvloed, is met Excel en die SPSS statistiese pakket uitgevoer en het die vorm van meervoudige kruistabellering aangeneem. ’n Probitregressievergelyking is met behulp van SPSS 20 statistiese sagteware beraam. In die geval van die tempo van aanneming van verskansing deur mielieboere in Gauteng is daar gevind dat net 35 persent van die mielieboere termynkontrakte op hulle mielies gebruik om hulle teen prysrisiko te beskerm. Dit impliseer dat hulle nie hulle inkomste teen onbestendige pryse beskerm nie. Die resultate toon dat die faktore wat die grootste invloed het op die besluit om te verskans die volgende is: die geslag, ouderdom en landboukwalifikasie van die hoof besluitnemer; of die besluitnemer ’n lid van ’n graanvereniging is, en die grootte van dié graanvereniging; hoe lank die besluitnemer reeds graan produseer; die grootte van die plaas; of die boer grond inhuur; die proporsie van inkomste wat weg van die plaas af verdien word; en of die boer versekering uitneem. Hierdie veranderlikes is almal statisties betekenisvol by die 5 persent vlak.

The uncertain nature of agricultural production makes risk management essential in providing farmers with protection against potential losses. Crop insurance is a sustainable risk management tool that ensures the sustainability of agricultural enterprises by reducing income risks. The main focus has been on the supply and penetration of crop insurance, with limited attention paid to the demand and to farmers’ preferences for crop insurance. In Swaziland, the crop insurance industry is still under-developed; hence, an empirical gap exists in knowledge of farmers’ preferences for crop insurance. This study identifies the conditions that farmers prefer to accept with regard to crop insurance, as well as the factors that influence them in purchasing it. It provides an understanding of the need of farming households for crop insurance, and seeks to identify the best ways of protecting farmers’ livelihoods from agricultural risks. It also provides an account of the effects of ineffective risk management strategies. The study employed descriptive statistics to analyse primary data: snowballing sampling methods were used to collect survey data from 150 households in the Hhohho and Lubombo regions of Swaziland. Results show that 52% of the sampled households expressed an interest in purchasing crop insurance; the other 48% were not interested in purchasing crop insurance and gave reasons for this. The probit model was used to determine the factors that influence the likelihood of farmers indicating an interest in purchasing crop insurance: these included gender, marital status, occupation, education, location, savings and farming experience. Farmers based their preferences on crop insurance features such as risk cover, coverage levels and the nature of cover, compensation and premiums. Binary logistic regressions were used to identify factors that influence farmers’ preferences regarding crop-insurance features. Respondents preferred the multi-peril crop insurance cover, higher coverage levels, lower premiums and compensation based on market price. They also wanted their coverage to include both crops and livestock, and to be involved in the designing of crop insurance programmes. A lack of farmer education regarding the purpose and benefits of crop insurance was one of the causes of farmers’ lack of interest in purchasing crop insurance. Evidence from this study indicated that farmers in the Lubombo region were more interested in crop insurance than farmers in the Hhohho region. This was predictable, considering that the more risk or uncertainty farmers face, the more likely they are to show an interest in purchasing a sustainable risk management strategy like crop insurance. Farmers are currently more responsive to crop insurance and their preferences are important in informing the ex-ante design process and finding ways of improving crop insurance programmes in Swaziland. This study recommends education for farmers on the role and benefits of crop insurance; it also suggests that the Swazi government to consider implementing crop insurance subsidies and engage with insurance providers to tailor programmes to meet the needs and constraints faced by farmers. Understanding farmers’ preferences for particular attributes of crop insurance is imperative in informing and designing improved insurance contracts.<br>Dissertation (MSc (Agric))--University of Pretoria, 2018.<br>Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development<br>MSc (Agric)<br>Unrestricted

Thesis (M.Agric. (Agricultural Economics)) -- University of Limpopo<br>Maize is the most important cereal crop grown in South Africa. This crop is produced throughout the country under diverse environments. The study only focuses on the technical efficiency because it is an important subject in developing agriculture where resources are limited, but high population growth is very common. Technical efficiency is the ability of a farmer to obtain output from a given set of physical inputs. Farmers have a tendency of under and/or overutilising the factors of production. The main aim of this study was to analyse the technical efficiency of small-scale maize producers in Ga-Mothiba rural community of Limpopo Province. The objective of the study was to determine the level of technical efficiency of smallscale maize producers and to identify the socio-economic characteristics that influence technical efficiency of small-scale maize producers in Ga-Mothiba. Purposive and Snowball sampling techniques were used to collect primary data from 120 small-scale farmers. Cobb-Douglas production function was used to determine the level of technical efficiency and Logistic regression model was used to analyse the variables that have influence the technical efficiency of maize production. Cobb-Douglas results reveal that small-scale farmers in Ga-Mothiba are experiencing technical inefficiency in maize production due to the decreasing return to scale, which means they are over-utilising factors of production. Logistic regression results indicate that out of 13 variables included in the analysis as socio-economic factors, 10 of them (level of education, income of the household on monthly basis, farmer`s farming experience, farm size, cost of tractor hours, fertiliser application, purchased hybrid maize seeds, membership to farmers` organisation, is maize profitable) were found to be significant and 3 (gender, age and hired labour) are non-significant. However, farm size was found to be the most significant variable at 99% level, showing a positive relationship to smallscale maize producer`s technical efficiency. Therefore, it is recommended that government should do the on-farm training since farmers mainly depend on trial and error and farmers` should have access to enough arable land and tractor services. However, farmers need to be trained on matters relating to fertiliser application, on the amount of seeds a farmer should apply per ha, and the importance of using hybrid seed.

<p>Agricultural system in Ghana underperformed because of limited financing, which constrained some small-scale maize and cassava farmers. The purpose of this case study design was to explore the methods that some small-scale maize and cassava farmers in Amankwakrom Subdistrict used in obtaining farm financing. Two themes from the literature review were a lack of collateral for small-scale farm financing and the small-scale farmers cooperative associations? role in farm financing. Regional-scale management sustainability index formed the conceptual framework for this study. Data collection included semistructured face-to-face interviews with 8 fluent English speaking small-scale maize and cassava farmers who have obtained farm financing in the previous years. Using the Microsoft Excel and Non-numerical unstructured data indexing and theorizing software program for data analysis method, 3 major themes emerged: the farmer?s membership benefits of working in cooperative associations; farmer?s ability to provide the collateral requirements for the financial institutions; and farmer?s good loan repayment history. The study findings indicated that some small-scale maize and cassava farmers obtained farm loans because they used the cooperative associations as their collateral assets in order to satisfy for the requirements of the financial institutions. Social implications include the potential to guide the small-scale maize and cassava farmers to access farm credits to use in expanding their farm sizes. Expansion in farm sizes may result in more maize and cassava production that can help eliminate hunger and reduce poverty in the Amankwakrom Subdistrict of Ghana.

The goal of the research paper was to understand the complex relationship between the issue of sustainability and maize farmers’ decision-making processes. The aim is to shed light on the realities experienced by maize farmers in terms of how sustainability impacts on the decisions they make and how the decisions they make impact on sustainability. The importance of the research lies in the current state of affairs in the world in terms of the current economic recession, overpopulation, dire poverty and hunger, and the poor state of the environment. If humankind is to continue its existence on Earth in a happy, healthy world, something is going to have to give. In order for this to happen, people need to start grappling with the concept of sustainability. Focusing on sustainability as a whole is likely to end in despair. However, breaking the problem down into its component pieces will allow people to influence the particular sector in which they operate. It is therefore imperative for research into sustainability to be undertaken in all sectors of society and the economy. Agriculture presents an excellent research area due to its intrinsic link with the environment, society and the economy. Agriculture and its wellbeing is inextricably tied to environmental health. Healthy plants and animals will not grow in unhealthy conditions. Society is to a large degree dependent on agriculture for food, agriculture therefore has a significant impact on social order and function. Agriculture is one of the primary contributors to GDP, particularly in poor and developing nations. As a result, agriculture has an important role to play in ensuring economic sustainability. In order to engage with sustainability from an agricultural perspective it was decided to engage on the farmer-level. Gaining an understanding of their reality in terms of what motivates their decisions is key to understanding the relationship between agriculture and sustainability. Three maize farmers in Mpumalanga, South Africa, were interviewed with the aim of collecting qualitative data and then analysing the data using thematic analysis. The methodology employed enabled the researcher to uncover patterns in the data that constituted themes across the interviews. The following themes emerged: Theme 1: Economic factors are the primary decision driver. This is primarily due to the extent of the financial risk experienced by farmers as a result of market risk, production risk, finance risk, and rising input costs. This results in economic considerations superseding environmental or social concerns in farmers’ decisions. This has a negative impact on the overall sustainability of the farming operation. Theme 2: There has been a decrease in the number of family-run farms. This is attributable to a number of factors including economic failure, fear of loss of land due to land-reform policies, as well as crime. Family-run farms tend to have a greater focus on sustainability due to the vested interest in the next generation taking over the farm. The corporate farming operations that are taking over the farms tend to be more focussed on short-term gains in order to satisfy shareholders. Theme 3: Mechanisation is preferable to manual labour. There has been an alarming decrease in the number of labourers employed on farms. Farmers say this is due to two factors. Firstly, machines are more efficient than labour. Secondly, restrictive labour laws have made famers less keen to employ people. The net effect of these two factors is that unemployment is rising. This has negative consequences for society, the economy, and the environment. Theme 4: Farmers believe they do very little environmental damage. This results in decisions being made that do not consider environmental wellbeing other than soil health. This is because farmers see healthy soil as an integral input that optimises economic performance. Farmers tend to prioritise economic factors in their decisions more than environmental or social factors. This results in an unsustainable perspective. The only ways in which this is likely to change is if the financial risk associated with agriculture is decreased, or if farmers are given financial incentive to change their ways. In order to deal with this issue it is necessary for further research to be conducted. Research needs to be conducted to confirm the results of this study. It is important to know whether the results pertain only to maize farmers in Mpumalanga or whether most farmers in South Africa, and indeed the world, face similar problems. Research should also be conducted to propose policies or procedures to reduce financial risk in agriculture. Research should focus on reducing market risk and reducing input costs, possibly via subsidisation.

Mexico is one of the countries with the highest corn production in the world (24.6 million tons) (FAOSTAT, 2016). However, in some regions, the yields are very low (2.0 Tn.ha-1) compared to the national average (9.39 Tn.ha-1). Among the different strategies to improve productivity, the adoption of improved maize seeds can play an important role. However, the adoption of this type of seed in Mexico is still limited. The development of a seed sector that meets the needs of farmers is an opportunity to increase improved seed usage, productivity, and, thus, profitability of Mexican farmers. The main objective is to analyze farmers¿ opinions and attitudes towards the improved seeds adoption. To achieve this objective, we followed a methodological approach in three phases. Data was gathered from face-to-face survey with 200 corn farmers conducted in January and March 2015. The survey was carried out in Chiapas, one of the states with the largest area planted with maize in Mexico and the highest percentage of marginal corn outcomes. In the first phase, we analyzed farmers¿ decision at the production level. We also studied farmers¿ heterogeneity by analyzing their socioeconomic characteristics and those of their farms, attitudes and opinions towards improved seeds, their perceived risk preferences and their objectives when managing their farm. Results showed the presence of three types of farmers: "In transition," who do not fully appreciate the potential of improved seeds (52.5%); "Conservatives," with a negative perception of improved seeds (18.5%); and "Innovators," with a positive perception (29%). Each of the identified segments has its commercial strategy with differentiated objectives, although the economic objectives prevail over the rest. In the second phase, we identified the key attributes as the main determining factors when selecting the improved varieties of maize seeds. We also indentified the farmers¿ willingness to pay (WTP) for each attribute and analyzed their observed heterogeneity, while taking into account several socio-economic variables. The analysis reflected that the improved seed varieties were more preferred than the Creole alternative varieties, showing a heterogeneous WTP to ensure higher yields, resistance to diseases, and larger ear size. Finally, in the last phase, we examined the determinants of the adoption rate of the improved seeds using a survival analysis. Approximately the decision of the 60% of farmers who adopted was over a period of 10 years. Young farmers with few family members and several agricultural generations that exhibited positive attitudes towards innovation and with low risk perception are likely to adopt the new varieties. Results showed that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994 negatively affected the adoption rate of improved seeds. Results showed low knowledge level of farmers towards the advantages of improved seeds. It is necessary to improve extension tools for the efficient use of sustainable agricultural inputs and practices to accelerate the process of adopting improved seeds and to facilitate access to financing and insurance.<br>México es uno de los países con mayor producción de maíz en el mundo (24.6 millones de toneladas) (FAOSTAT, 2016). Sin embargo, en algunas regiones los rendimientos son bajos (2,0 Tn.ha-1) en comparación con el promedio nacional (9,39 Tn.ha-1). Entre las diferentes estrategias para mejorar la productividad, la adopción de semillas mejoradas de maíz puede desempeñar un papel importante. Sin embargo, la adopción de este tipo de semillas en México sigue siendo limitada. El desarrollo de un sector de semillas que satisfaga las necesidades de los agricultores es una oportunidad para incrementar el uso de semillas, la productividad y, por tanto, la rentabilidad de los agricultores mexicanos. El objetivo principal es analizar las opiniones y actitudes de los agricultores hacia la adopción de semillas mejoradas. Para lograr este objetivo, seguimos un enfoque metodológico en tres fases. Los datos se recolectaron de una encuesta cara a cara con 200 agricultores de maíz realizada en enero y marzo de 2015. La encuesta se realizó en Chiapas, uno de los Estados con mayor superficie plantada de maíz en México y el mayor porcentaje de resultados marginales de maíz. En la primera fase, analizamos la decisión de los productores a nivel de producción. También estudiamos la heterogeneidad de los agricultores analizando sus características socioeconómicas y las de sus fincas, actitudes y opiniones respecto a semillas mejoradas, sus preferencias de riesgo percibidas y sus objetivos al manejar su finca. Los resultados mostraron la presencia de tres tipos de agricultores: "En transición", que no aprecian plenamente el potencial de semillas mejoradas (52,5%); "Conservadores", con una percepción negativa de semillas mejoradas (18,5%); e "Innovadores", con una percepción positiva (29%). Cada uno de los segmentos identificados tiene su estrategia comercial con objetivos diferenciados, aunque los objetivos económicos predominan sobre los demás. En la segunda fase, identificamos los atributos claves como los principales factores determinantes al seleccionar las variedades mejoradas de semillas de maíz. También identificamos la disposición de los agricultores a pagar por cada atributo y analizamos su heterogeneidad observada, teniendo en cuenta varias variables socioeconómicas. El análisis reflejó que las variedades de semillas mejoradas eran más preferidas que las variedades alternativas criollas, mostrando una WTP heterogénea para asegurar mayores rendimientos, resistencia a las enfermedades y mayor tamaño de la mazorca. Por último, en la última fase, se examinaron los determinantes de la tasa de adopción de las semillas mejoradas utilizando un análisis de supervivencia. Aproximadamente la decisión del 60% de los agricultores que adoptaron fue durante un período de 10 años. Los jóvenes agricultores con pocos miembros de la familia y varias generaciones agrícolas que mostraron actitudes positivas hacia la innovación y con una percepción de bajo riesgo probablemente adoptarán las nuevas variedades. Los resultados mostraron que el Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte (TLCAN) en 1994 afectó negativamente la tasa de adopción de semillas mejoradas. Los resultados mostraron un bajo nivel de conocimiento de los agricultores hacia las ventajas de las semillas mejoradas. Es necesario mejorar las herramientas de extensión para el uso eficiente de insumos y prácticas agrícolas sostenibles para acelerar el proceso de adopción de semillas mejoradas y facilitar el acceso al financiamiento y seguros.

Maize, being the most common staple food across many parts of the world, especially sub-Saharan Africa, is, in most cases, preserved through sun drying techniques among small-scale farmers. This method is prone to significant losses, which could be avoided through the use of mechanised drying technologies. Unfortunately, many farmers in developing countries such as Kenya have yet to adopt this technique on a large scale. It is against this background that this research sought to identify the factors that influence the adoption of mechanised maize drying technologies among small-scale farmers in Kenya. This study was anchored in the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), which offers a structured framework for predicting and explaining human behaviour based on personal attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control. Financial constraints and the knowledge base of the farmers were also included in the analysis, as these are important factors in the likelihood of farmers adopting the technology. Data were collected by means of structured interviews with 397 farmers in Nakuru County, Kenya. Correlation analysis was used to determine the strength, magnitude, and significance of the relationships between the variables. Ordered logit, a regression model, was used to determine the relationship between the independent variables, which were: financial resources, personal attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and knowledge, and the dependent variable, which was intention to adopt technologies. In addition, other control variables such as gender of the household head, farm size, age of the farmer, educational level of the household head and farm assets owned by the farmer were included as independent variables. The results indicated that 69.02 percent of farmers did not plan to utilise mechanised maize drying technologies, which is cause for concern from a policy perspective. The ordered logit results revealed that all the independent core factors significantly influenced adoption intentions. The farmers’ views related to their perceived behavioural control, and financial constraints negatively influenced their intentions to adopt mechanised maize drying technologies. Among the control variables, farm size and educational level positively influenced the adoption intention, while age had a negative influence. Based on these results, it is evident that there is a need to consider personal attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control of farmers, as well as the implementation of a nationwide campaign to encourage the adoption of mechanised maize drying techniques and a government strategy to bring the cost of credit down, while also ensuring its availability to small-scale farmers. The campaign will bridge the information gap and enhance adoption of mechanised maize drying technologies.

The study analyzed the impact of the farm input subsidy programme (FISP) on the technical, allocative and economic efficiency and determining factors associated with these efficiencies of 12, 271 smallholder maize farmers from 2010 IHS3 dataset in Malawi. Descriptive statistics, stochastic frontier approach as and a Cobb-Douglas production function were applied. Yield responsiveness to production inputs was estimated by computing input elasticities. The findings indicate that technical efficiency of smallholder maize farmers ranged from 15.7 to 78.9 with a mean of 61.3 percent reflecting a substantial level of inefficiency. The allocative efficiency scores were between 23.5 and 86.2 with a mean of 66.9 percent reflecting a substantial level of allocative inefficiency. The economic efficiency scores were between 14.1 and 74.6 with amean of 59.2 percent reflecting a substantial economical inefficiency. An estimated return to scale was 0.87 indicating that during the period under review, smallholder maize farming decreased by about 13 percent. The results of second stage Tobit regression estimations indicates that the FISP programme improved the efficiencies of maize farmers in Malawi. In addition, t farmers’ age, farming experience, education years, having an income generating activity and receiving remittance were also identified as significant drivers of production capacity of smallholder farmers maize. However, farmers’ marital status, family size and distance to the market had a negative impact on smallholder farmers’ capacity in maize production. Smallholder farmers in Malawi were experiencing a decreased return to scale meaning that they were technical, allocative and economically inefficient in maize production. From the findings, among other issues to be considered for the improvement of technical, allocative and economic efficiencies of maize production among smallholders farmers, the government should support only energetic farmers, make farm inputs available and accessible to farmers, continued advocacy on v adoption of family planning to reduce population growth to carter for scarcity of resources, increase and enhance extension services to help in educating these smallholder farmers in handling new technologies associated with modern agriculture, encourage them to engage in IGAs to complement FISP in purchasing farm inputs, increased and extended cash transfer program to economically empower these smallholder farmers.