Botha, C.A.J. (author), Lombard, P.P. (author), and Botha: Senior Lecturer, Department of Agrarian Extension, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; Lombard: Agricultural Manager, Agriwane, Nelspruit, South Africa
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1991
Published:
South Africa
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 88 Document Number: C06033
11 pages., This paper was initiated in order to find the usage and relevance of theInformation and Communication Technologies(ICT) by the smallholder farmers of the Umzimvubu Local Municipality of the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. A survey questionnaire was then developed to collect the relevant data from randomly selected six villages of Umzimvubu Local Municipality targeting 138 respondents. The questionnaires structure employed both closed and open-ended questions that were administered using a face to face interview, conducted on the sample population in each village. There seems to be a correlation between ICT usage and the economies of scale in agricultural development, where smallholder farmers tend to use less of highly modernized ICT, while commercial large scale farmers use more of the modernized ICT. This disparity amongst farmers is exacerbated in many areas by the differing support systems employed by the public extension services.
Koch, B.H. (author), Stevens, J.B. (author), and Stevens: Senior Extensionist, Transvaal Region, Department of Agricultural Development, South Africa; Koch: Senior Lecturer, Department of Agrarian Extension, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1990
Published:
South Africa
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 83 Document Number: C05076
James F. Evans Collection, Information needs and technical knowledge levels of peach farmers, served by extensionists of the Silverton extension ward were found to be low. Respondents generally misperceived their actual and optimum production levels, resulting in low aspirations for the greater majority of respondents and irrationally high aspirations in the case of a small minority of respondents. Full- and part-time peach farmers did not differ significantly in their information needs.
James F. Evans Collection; Based on parts of an MSc (Agric) thesis by the senior author at the University of Pretoria, Farmers who are financially successful differ from their unsuccessful counterparts in management approach and decision making. Successful farmers use records for planning, they employ cash flow budgeting and analyse costs. They also avoid overtrading and are financially realistic. Unsuccessful farmers exhibit opposite traits. Successful farmers are also better decision-makers: They gather more information, use it better, re-evaluate decisions and are able to change these if necessary. Unsuccessful farmers evaluate decisions incompletely or not at all. There is not much difference in the implementation of decisions. Extensionists should concentrate in teaching farmers a frame of mind conducive to sound management (original).
16 pages, Agricultural extension is one of the essential services that are offered by the South African Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development (DALRRD), to facilitate agricultural development in rural communities. The significance of agricultural extension is that it offers new knowledge to farmers and allows space for growth through various interventions such as agrarian transformation and improving livelihoods through the promotion of agriculture as a vehicle for ‘pro-poor’ economic growth. However, there is a concern that extension services are invisible in resource-restricted and previously marginalised rural communities. The study presented in this paper examined farmer’s experiences with extension practitioners and the impact of a lack of extension services on the development of impoverished rural communities. The researchers adopted a qualitative design wherein six focus group discussions were held to gather data from the farmers. Data were analyzed using ATLAS.ti22, a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS). Four themes of extension services that have a direct linkage to livelihood development, namely, the impact on rural livelihoods, production challenges, marketability, and economic impact, and the invisibility of extension services, were the central point of discussion.
Bembridge, T.J. (author), King, P.G. (author), and King: Agricultural Advisor, Division of Sentrachem, Grahamstown, South Africa; Bembridge: Professor, Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, University of Fort Hare, Alice, South Africa
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1988
Published:
South Africa
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 72 Document Number: C03263
